A FOND FAREWELL...

From a true Trade Unionist



Dear Delta Brothers and Sisters,

I come to you with something that tears at my heart; my resignation from Delta Air Lines. I have had a wonderful 21 years of working with each and every one of you in Atlanta.

In 1987, I came to Delta almost right out of high school. Still wet behind the ears and green as a dollar bill. I came out of a Christian high school with about 18 in my graduating class. The world hit me like a rock. All of the black guys who know me will appreciate this story more than anyone. My black friends always ribbed me for being the only white democrat they knew. Especially Terry Pryor, one of my dearest friends. May God rest his soul. In 1990, I went from Air Mail to Cabin Service (when we used to work CS.) What a great place. We had a blast. My favorite LCSSA was Jeff Pate. What a guy! Anyway, the black guys would sit together in the back of the breakroom and I would often go to the back where I would just sit and laugh my butt off! Man, they were funny. I never said anything to anyone. I didn’t know any of them at the time. It was a fun time for me at some point in my day. I really looked forward to it. But as time went on, I began to know a few of the guys in the back. One day, out of the blue while we were talking about something, Hank Aaron, Jr.(the great baseball Hall of Famer, Hammerin' Hank Aaron's son) looked over at me unexpectedly and I will never forget what he asked me. As I am sure he will never forget the look on my face. Hank asked me, "Brian, where's your crib?" Now like I said, I came to Delta very green and very white. I had only gone to high school with one black guy, Mack Perry. Good friend, good football team mate and excellent running back. But when Hank asked me that question, all I could see in my head was a picture of a baby crib with a long dust ruffle running all the way around. Now at this point, the entire room became silent. Not a sound. As I pondered the question, I knew I was lost. I knew in about 5 seconds I was going to never forget this moment. Hank then looked at me and said, "You don’t know what a crib is?" I looked at Hank and said, "No, I don't". The room was still silent but everyone in the back was about to bust. Hank then said, "You know, where do you stay?" All I could do at this moment was give Hank the deer in the headlights look. I was clueless! I had no answer! Hank then asked me a third question, "Where do you live?" I said, "Oh, I live in Forest Park." The room went wild. They laughed at me forever it seemed like. But I just laughed, too. Who could not laugh at that? I mean, you have to laugh at yourself sometimes. For a very long time, Hank would occasionally say to me in passing, "Hey, where's your crib." What a great guy and what a mess of a group of guys to laugh with at work. Sometimes you just have to take it all in stride.

Someone out there may say, why are you telling us this story? Well, for many years the story was just another day at Delta. But in May of 2007, I suffered from a massive stroke. As I lay in a room at Henry Medical Center, I became very aware of my situation. I was told I was going to be taken by ambulance to Emory University. At one point, I regained consciousness and caught a Priest coming around the end of the bed and moving towards me. It was Father Murphy from McDonough. As he came to me, I thought he just happened to be the Priest there that day doing Chaplain rounds. What a coincidence, I thought. I tried to have a conversation with Father Murphy and crack a joke. Father Murphy laughed at me as if he laughed in compassion. Then he started to unzip this little black bag that looked like a bag in which I keep my diabetic meter. Father pulls out a purple stole and drapes it around his neck. Now I had only been Catholic a very short time at this point, but I had watched M*A*S*H my whole life. My all time favorite TV show. All I knew is when you saw that purple stole on the show, someone was about to die. Reality slammed me when Father Murphy said to me in his Irish voice, "Your wife called me and told me that you have a 50% of surviving the life flight". I didn’t know the transportation choice had been changed. And I didn’t know I might not survive. But Father Murphy stayed with me as my wife drove 100mph to get my children as fast as she could and meet me at Emory with hopes that I would still be alive for my children to see me maybe for the last time. What a difference a moment makes! But I had my faith. I had my friends. And I had many prayers from you at Delta. I can never thank you enough for the compassion and prayers for me. But especially your prayers and concern for my wife and children. How do I ever thank you? All I can say is, "May God bless you".

I still remain with a 90% blockage in my vertebrial artery on the right side of my brain that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. (Yea, yea, I can still hear Troy Bacon in that Yankee accent say to me as I lay in the hospital at Emory University, "How can you have a stroke when you have no brain?") I tell you, Troy Bacon will never know how much he meant to me and my family through a time when I was not sure I was going to live or die. You do indeed find out who your friends are sometime in your life. Thank you so much my dear friend.

The stroke left me with only being able to lift a limit of 10 pounds for the rest of my life. When the doctor told me that, I knew I would never work with you all ever again as a ramp agent. I recovered from a stroke that should have left me blind and paralyzed, I was told by doctor. What a sobering few days in my life. I am extremely fortunate to be able to write to you today. Everyday after my stroke is precious to me. Everyday after my stroke is an extra day I should have never had. The problem with that though is: What should I be doing with my life? Delta never called me back to work and excuses were always made as to my return being held over. I can’t go into those things right now but believe me, when I had the stroke, I was "hung out to dry.” My short term and long term payments went like clockwork. Can’t complain about not being paid. I honestly never had a problem with pay.

But believe me when I tell you that when I was not given the chance to come back to work, I didn’t need 1-800-MY-DELTA. I NEEDED A UNION!!! And believe me when I tell you my brother and sisters, you don’t ever want to know what that’s like! Ever!

In 1994, I was in the first group of full-time employees ever laid-off by Delta Airlines. The "furlough" program was called "LEADERSHIP 7.5.” At the time I had over 7 years. At that time the part-time workers made squat! They received a measly hourly wage with little or no benefits. I am sure that someone is reading this right now and saying, "That's right.” In February of 2006, I was called back to Delta. I quickly learned I came back to what was left. Many stations had been contracted out and it wasn’t long before we lost Cabin Service system-wide and Fueling system-wide. More ramp stations were to be contracted out time and time again. Not long after I came back to Delta, I was reading the "ATL" paper that some of you might have read from time to time. In the "ATL" paper, I read an ad placed there by the Transport Workers Union (TWU). It had a union card in the ad and I cut it out and mailed it in to the TWU. TWU had their first meeting in Atlanta with a few weeks. I met the organizer, we became friends (even to this very day) and the rest is history. If anyone knows me, I was lead organizer for the ramp from 1996-2007. The TWU got the ramp to our first union vote. Though we lost the election, a trend had been set. We were now part of the blue collar worker seeking representation. And the ramp seeks it to this day. In the past years we have worked with TWU, Teamsters and now, the IAM.

As your union leader at the time in October 2006, our committee made the decision to organize with the IAM. Our relationship with the TWU remained strong, but we both(the TWU and the Delta Ramp Committee) felt it was best to go separate ways with both sides honoring each other. In August of 2006, I met personally with a great friend from the IAM named Tony Klinakis. Many of you know Tony. Many of you have seen Tony and probably don’t even know it. Tony has spent many a day handing you union information and union cards outside of the Delta Employee Parking Lot in Atlanta. Tony and I have been great friends for many years. Tony's commitment to you is undeniable. If you have never met with the organizers of the IAM, you are doing yourself a great injustice. You are throwing opportunity away with both hands.

I cannot express to you the need to meet this organization. They represent thousands in the airline industry. They also represent the ramp workers of NORTHWEST AIRLINES; the same airline that will be merging with you in the near future. Many have said that the union at NW will be gone with the merger because they are calling it "DELTA.” Do not be fooled my friends. I am calling on each and every one of you to give he IAM one meeting. The IAM would like to have ONE meeting in which I ask each and every one of you to attend. One meeting. That’s all! If you had one chance to make sure that your job is protected in a merger, why would you not come down and take 15-30 minutes to listen to the people who can give you answers to the questions I know you have! This meeting could determine the rest of your career. Give the IAM one chance to sit down with you and plead their case. And I do mean plead. The IAM know that without Delta votes, the workers at NW stand to loose everything they have fought for through the years. AND IF THE NW RAMPERS LOSE, YOU CAN BET YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE.

I know my letter is long and I thank you for reading my post. The IAM has an office in ATL for Delta Ramp Agents in the old Credit Union building on Virginia Avenue. When a meeting is set, you can find out about it right here on this web-site.

Please play attention to the problems I have experienced personally in an illness. I can tell you first hand that you could be thrown under the bus like I was after 21 years. I was never written up for being late in 21 years. I was never written up for disrespect to anyone in management in 21 years. In 1996 when I put on a TWU pin on my shirt, I was told to take it off. I took it off. But TWU almost went to court over that pin and I wore it everyday. I didn’t care whether they liked it or not. It was my Federal Right to wear that pin and I did. But I always showed respect after the fact. I showed respect to a fourth-level who tried to set me up in the bagroom for something I did not do. And you know who came to me rescue? A fellow worker. Norb stood up like a man and said, "He didn’t do it". That was the end of that set-up. I showed respect to a member of management, who I will not name at this time, who came up on the curb in a Delta Ford pickup coming into the parking lot while I was handing out union literature to you. I was dressed in a union shirt and hat. That member of management never knew it was me. I was extremely disappointed to know that a man I knew personally tried to run me over. That person to this day does not know it was me. But now he will. I just want everyone to know that I didn’t cry about it to law enforcement or upper management. It was the cost of what I was doing. Some say that I dug my own hole by organizing with a union to not get called back to Delta. Some say it was the excuse they were looking for to kick me out. I tell them the only regret I have about digging my own hole was that I didn’t have a bigger shovel!

Good-bye to Bruce Church and Ted Anderson in SLC. Good-bye to Sam Munilla in LAX. Good-bye to Steven Finely in TPA. Good-bye to Bill Sullender in CVG (I know he retired but a great friend). Good-bye to Troy Bacon, William Green, Soup, Jim McWilliams, Anthony Grant, Brian McGouirk, Clinton Barnhill, Dan Lemnick, Darrell Nichols, Earnest Grant, Rosey, Lee Johnson, Rodney Robinson, Steven Rodney, Steve Dabney, Coop, Uele, Walter Allen and the rest of my wonderful friends in ATL!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Brian Vaughn