THE SPIN BEGINS

DELTA PAY MIRRORS NORTHWEST MONEY
EMPLOYEES BRACE FOR CON JOB


Some of you have probably wondered in the past how Delta can keep talking about industry standard pay as if it was some sort or mathematical equation worthy of an ‘Einstein’ effort to decipher. Well it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that during this merger process, our pay will be almost exactly what Northwest’s pay is. We will probably get a few cents an hour more than them just so our leaders can claim they have always been more ‘caring’ than the IAM union negotiators.

We will never see the same pay that our counter-parts at United, American and Southwest are receiving – after all, they’re not the merger partner. Each time Northwest receives a union bargained pay hike you can bet your bottom penny (nobody has a dollar anymore!) that Delta will top it slightly. Hence, our last small pay adjustment of July 2007.

What most people aren’t concentrating on, and what Delta hopes that all of us won’t notice, is the dismal comparison between our other benefits and Northwest’s benies. Our sick time was slightly improved this year precisely because of the impending merger. Our vacation time has not improved and all of you should know that Northwest tops out at 6 weeks a year of vacation.

Northwest has two pensions; one frozen like ours but with NO social security off-set and a replacement plan bargained by the IAM and paid for by the company. It is a growing pension from the IAM National Pension Fund (http://www.iamnpf.org/) . Delta doesn’t want you concentrating on, or even know of, these aspects of what IAM represented ramp and ticket counter people have coming to them versus our weak-assed benefits.

No, they are sure they can fool all of us with a few pennies on the dollar over Northwest’s monthly pay. Don’t believe us? Just check out Northwest’s District 143 website and compare their contracts with Delta’s promises (http://www.iam143.org/), look for ‘Black Book’ or ‘Gray Book’.

The Union difference…promises and commitments that have largely gone unfilled versus contracts that have to be honored by law. Get ready for a spring and summer full of false, self-indulgent praise coming from our Delta leaders about the superiority of what Delta offers in comparison to Northwest’s package…and then go get the proof yourself by reading Northwest’s contracts.

We challenge all of you to get the facts before taking in another road show of promise and bloviation. When we win and become Union, the Northwest contracts become the model we will bargain a combined contract from. We cannot afford to throw Northwest’s contracts (and our future) in the trash by not signing union cards and joining in the fight. Remember how bad our pay and benefits were just a few short months ago when there was no real union pressure or the prospect of merging with a union carrier?

Don’t be tricked by these con men. Sign a card and join the fight.

Contact us at www.goiamnow.org