LABOR DAY MONDAYS ALWAYS GET ME DOWN

MERGER TALK HEATS UP
IAM VOWS TO PROTECT NWA MEMBERS


As we celebrate Labor Day the first Monday of each September, we should pause and give thanks to the sacrifices of those workers of our past who fought and yes, bled for the many benefits and rights we as American workers enjoy today.

Much of what we have we all take for granted. It’s unfortunate that we do that but after all; we are a product of our own past successes. We have become complacent and lax precisely because of the hard work of others’ from our labor past.

Most working Americans would be surprised to learn that a simple thing like a 40 hour work week or an 8 hour work day was borne from battles waged by Unions demanding civilized treatment from corporations during the 19th and 20th centuries. Over time pay, child labor laws, safety procedures and legislation; all a gift from struggles the working men and women waged against the “man”.

We at Delta should be especially thankful. We have allowed others to do our fighting for us and, until recently, have made out well, without supplying any of our own sweat and sacrifice.

The airlines collectively have gone through a “bad patch” economically and all of us were made to give sacrifices. Some voted on their shared sacrifices because they were union and had a say in the pain. Others like us at Delta had no say, just pain.

The discrepancy and distance between the non-union and union carriers benefits and wages are so obvious now that even union skeptics and haters have taken notice.

With the promotion of Richard Anderson, NWA’s ex-CEO, merger rumors and speculation have heated up. It’s not just locker room talk anymore. The likelihood of this happening is real and cannot be ignored by Delta employees any longer. The ramifications of a largely union carrier merging with an almost entirely non-union company are serious and profound.

IAM district 143 who represents Northwest ramp workers is already mobilizing to protect their members’ rights if such a merger takes place. They are under a legal responsibility to do so and will do it vigorously and with zeal. Who’s going to protect us? We have no contract, no representation, only promises from a management team that changes faces every few years.

It’s not too late to get this union campaign to bear fruit. We are so close and we only need a few more of us to sign union authorization cards. Do you really want to leave your fate in the hands of the very people who have taken so much from you already?

Be informed, ask tough questions. Make yourselves aware of the possibilities we all face should a merger go through without us having any representation. We look forward to giving you the facts and potential outcomes of such an eventuality.

On this Labor Day, let’s do more than just give thanks for what we have. Let’s make sure collective sacrifices of our past workers are remembered, understood and defended.

Let’s sign those a-cards today!