THE NEW DELTA
THE NEW BEGINNING


IS IT THE REAL THING OR AN OLD BATCH OF “NEW COKE”?

When I was a kid growing up I remember playing all day long, working up an enormous thirst. One of the great joys of my early memories was, after a long day of vigorous activity, hoisting back an ice cold coke on a hot day. The sting I would feel in the back of my throat as I chugged an entire bottle, was a simple pleasure hard to equal.

Some years later, for seemingly no reason at all, the Coca-Cola Company decided that their original recipe was no longer “competitive” and they replaced the one great pleasurable vice of my life with “New Coke”.

I was devastated. It was worse than losing a friend. Over night, classic coke disappeared off grocery shelves. Great fans of the original product hoarded the last supplies and I had no where to turn for my daily fix. The new coke just didn’t hit the spot. It seemed flat, sweet, even dull, worse than Pepsi. My world was upside down.

Fortunately I was not alone in my utter disgust for what Coca-Cola had done and after what seemed like an eternity; Coke relented and brought back Classic Coke.

Some people are just not happy with success. They have a need to tinker, to change what doesn’t need changing. When adorned with new power, they are driven to put their stamp on operations, products and ultimately, day to day decisions that, unfortunately over time have devastating effects on productivity, success and financial stability.

We have experienced this process at Delta Air Lines. As management teams changed, new age thinkers saw ways to save money, to make their mark, to “save” us. Vast numbers of quality personnel were replaced by contract workers, causing permanent damage to our reputation, image and most importantly, bottom line.

The result has been far from inspiring. We ship only a fraction of the air cargo we used to and our baggage mishandling numbers are approaching industry worst levels. We spend millions of dollars on slick consultants to tell us what we’re doing wrong, when most of us already know, that the answers and solutions exist within us and our past history of greatness. We only need to look inward and trust the professionals among us who have been marginalized for far too long.

I firmly believe that the New Delta that sprung forward today is a Delta that needs to and must become inclusive, no longer excluding its best and brightest, but fully utilizing and embracing its employees, learning from the wise, sage veterans and nurturing and developing our new hires.

This New Beginning must not shunt people aside in a misguided, failed attempt to exist and survive, but should learn to value and develop its greatest assets; our employees.

We, who have decided to help make the New Delta the “real thing” by unionizing through IAM, pledge our support to stay positive and build a strong future that includes all of us. We might have differences in how we get there but we remain steadfast in our resolute determination to prevail and to provide our customers and employees an enriching, mutually beneficial experience. We desire a voice in this new future; a true voice, a union voice.

Let’s enjoy the day and revel in the moment and the satisfaction of knowing that we are still here, almost as strong as we ever were, but in great need of providing our employees with a sustainable wage, benefits that provide an affordable safety umbrella and a contract that gives us stability and peace of mind.