WHO WILL LEAD US?

DELTA CEO TELLS EMPLOYEES TO RELAX
IAM LEADERS KEEP MEMBERS INFORMED



This week in a recorded message, CEO Richard Anderson told employees to “relax” about the prospects of becoming merged with another carrier. “Everything we’ve said is still true." He was making an attempt to reassure employees about earlier promises to protect their seniority when the carriers combine. “Relax about that” he said, " stay focused on running our enterprise.”

The last time I heard the word ‘relax’ this much, I was in my Doctor’s office having a prostate exam; his reassurances were appreciated but one can’t help but tense up in a situation like that! It’s easy to tell someone else to take a ‘chill pill’ when they have all the answers and your life hangs in the balance, but we’ve all been through similar experiences with Delta before. Things rarely go as expected or as well as management describes them.

On the other side of the coin, our counterparts at Northwest and United Airlines have been getting constant updates from the IAM keeping them informed about the exact specifics of what will happen should the 3 carriers in question begin their moves. This is exactly the mobilization that we employees on the ramp and in other departments need at such a crucial juncture. The following are excerpts from that dialogue:

IAM General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. stated this:

“It is imperative for our membership to recognize that the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have developed a Transportation Merger Team. The Machinists formed the Transportation Merger Team to protect the interests of IAM members affected by airline mergers. Comprised of employee representatives, attorneys, economists and research specialists, our team is prepared for any potential industry consolidation. We are also prepared to evaluate any proposed merger and determine whether it would serve the interests of our members, an airline’s most important asset, and the interests of the flying public. For this to occur we need a transparent process that allows for information sharing. This can be accomplished while respecting the airlines’ need for confidentiality.”

“What constitutes a successful merger is debatable. In our opinion, a merger should be judged on its impact on employees, communities and passengers. Employees have been devastated in the past as a result of airline mergers. There must be a qualified management team with the requisite skills to facilitate a smooth integration of work groups from the different airlines. Otherwise, a merger could be disastrous. Proposed mergers must further be scrutinized to ensure that employees’ hard earned nest eggs-their pensions-are preserved.”

There you have it. We are being told to “relax” and all will be well and the IAM is mobilizing and working to reassure their members that they will be informed, protected and that their interests will be guarded and looked after. This is the precise difference between employees with representation and those without representation (US!).

The Star Tribune out of Minneapolis is reporting that a rift has occurred during merger talks with Delta and Northwest. There is a leadership struggle about who will run the merged company. Here’s a question to all concerned. If they can’t even decide at this late date on who’s in charge or where the headquarters will be located, what makes any of us think that they have given any thought at all about our seniority or needs?

It is essential that we mobilize with IAM to protect our own interests while the battles rage. We have a friend in the IAM. Let’s continue to sign our authorization cards as if nothing is going to happen and be prepared should things turn complicated and difficult.

Don’t leave yourself vulnerable and exposed. Organize or perish.