THE INEQUITY OF EQUITY

15% OF POST-MERGER EQUITY TO BE DISTRIBUTED
PILOTS AND MEGA BOSSES TAKE MOST OF IT


In the next few weeks Delta employees will be inundated with happy talk about the distribution of stock awards being granted to employees of the newly combined carrier that used to be the old Northwest and Delta Air Lines. All employees are expected to quietly accept the utterances and pronouncements of their new leaders concerning these happenings.

Don’t get us wrong. We are all happy to accept any monies or reimbursements of our past, lost wages and concessions. However, we are not stupid and wonder about the sanity and viability of what’s about to happen.

Why is it that our leaders and pilots need to be given so much money to allow this merger to go forward? Is it a game that requires reimbursement for participation?

We have been programmed to believe that the airline industry can’t exist without consolidation; yet we are actually the only two carriers that saw the need to couple. Have we been played by the power brokers who seek money and position?

All Delta and Northwest employees who are not pilots or bosses need to understand a few fundamental facts about our future. Most of us were not included in the decisions and financial conclusions that were made in the name of all of our behalves. We were manipulated by professionals who were looking out for themselves; bosses who only have a 3 or 4 year shelf life in any job they take on. These leeches have no conscience or regard for the long term viability of any enterprise or company they lead or represent. They are after compensation and money, in the short term.

The equity that you will begin to hear about is nothing more than a figment of your imagination; the bulk of the money will be going to 7 or 8 executive bosses who have no intention of building a winning enterprise. They played all of us and they know it. These robber barons knew that they couldn’t pull off this heist without the complicity of the pilots so they bought and paid for their silence with beaucoup dollars. 18% raises and substantial equity disbursements was all it took to complete the coup.

Here’s the bottom line; our bosses, who comprise 1% of the total combined work force of this airline will be taking nearly one third of the 15% disbursed equity of the new airline. What is even more disturbing is that 1% of the 1% or 7 of these 700 leaders will turn on their own and take a huge disproportionate percentage of their own internal distribution. When this happens (and it will) they will leave with their money and not look back at us or even care what happens.

They exist, not for the benefit of the flying public, or even for aviation; they exist to prosper and prevail. Their mission is to get rich at everyone’s expense.

We call upon all non-contract Delta employees to understand the ramifications of working without a contract. The people who are about to prosper at our expense; the pilots and the upper echelon of Delta management, all have iron-clad contracts that guarantee their salaries and benefits. They wouldn’t think of working without a backup plan. Why would any of us think less of ourselves or our positions? Let’s join the fray and stand up for ourselves. It is the common sense thing to do.