DELTA BOARD NAMES NEW CEO

RICHARD ANDERSON TAKES HELM
GRINSTEIN PROTÉGÉ SPURNED


With the announcement of the promotion of Richard Anderson, age 52, to become the new CEO of Delta Air Lines, long speculation and much rumor has finally come to an end. Many employees were beginning to wonder if something was in the wind as weeks turned into months while the decision dragged out.

Soon to be Ex-CEO Jerry Grinstein barely made an effort to mask his obvious disappointment by not having an in-house candidate win the job. He put the best face possible on this choice while showing great loyalty to the men and women whose jobs he surely saved.

Mr. Anderson brings a wealth of accumulated airline experience, having worked for both Continental and a 14 year stint with Northwest, the last 3 years (2001-2004) as CEO.

Some of my contacts at Northwest both within the Airline and the IAM, tell me he is a man that you can work with. He is tough, thorough and a skilled negotiator who has many years of dealing in a union environment. He understands the needs of employees and will bring much needed experience in dealing effectively and hopefully, fairly with ramp employees as our union campaign continues.

Mr. Anderson, we have no intention of going away. We are determined and dedicated to see this union campaign run its course to a successful conclusion. We look forward to talking to you, as you stated, “I will spend the majority of my time listening to Delta people to learn how we can further improve the customer experience and position our company as an even better place to work.”

You want us to share with you how we can, “take Delta to new heights of value, performance and service.” Here’s a suggestion; quit attempting to get rid of us all. That would be a good start. So many of our fellow ramp employees have been out-sourced or worse, forced out over the last few years. Our ability to offer, as you have so eloquently stated, “flawless execution,” has been compromised by short sighted decisions made by bean counters and expensive side-show consultants.

Let’s get back to the basics, as I have stated in the past, what we do is really a simple task that requires complex, multi-leveled thinking; we put bags on planes with people, (hopefully at the same time).

Over the next few months we will intensify our organization effort and look forward to working with you and your new team. We will not be confrontational, but will be persistent. We anticipate a mutually fair and dignified campaign with respect and decency shown throughout.

Good luck in your new position and welcome aboard.

The Delta Ramp Workers Organizing Committee