DEDICATED DELTA PROFESSIONALS…

…AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT TO OUR CONTINUED VIABILITY
OUTSIDER EXECUTIVE TEAM SEES NO VALUE IN KEEPING THEM

A normal day’s work at Delta Air Lines can be both exhilarating and exasperating. Challenges arise from every direction and potential problems are averted and solved almost every minute of every day. We take for granted many of our competent problem solvers and could not function without long serving and dedicated professionals.

The incremental knowledge learned through a long and honorable career is an invaluable commodity that cannot be easily quantified or measured. A steady hand and knowledgeable professional is worth his or her weight in gold and we cherish our well-trained and highly motivated professionals.

Everyone who works at Delta (or any other company) knows where to find the problem solving employees; the hard workers and the person who is always where they should be. They seem to be forever ready and anticipate the needs of not only the passengers and customers but their fellow workers.

We all know someone at work that causes us relief when we see them assigned to our work area or gate.

They are the essential glue that binds us and our operation together and they are disappearing quicker than the polar ice caps! We are in trouble and our outsider management team doesn’t seem to care or even appear to be the least bit concerned.

As a matter of fact our corporate policy seems to be one of ‘exterminating’ this brand of employee; of ‘encouraging’ them to leave as quickly as possible. Delta doesn’t seem to value their contributions and Delta absolutely doesn’t want to compensate them commensurately for the value they bring to our operation.

Delta’s hope is that these individuals, who have learned their trade over decades of practice, training and hard work, will take the buyouts and leave. Why?

They cost more than a new hire and they are aware of the importance of pensions, medical benefits, fair wages and a collective bargaining agreement not only for themselves but for their families. They know the value of being in a union.

Each day in cities around our system we lose many of these irreplaceable components to our daily success. The value they add to our operation vastly exceeds any short term monetary gain that Delta might realize by replacing them with a new hire. The damage is mounting in every department.

There is a tipping point that is fast approaching; a point that may have already been crossed where the damage to our operational integrity will become permanent and irreversible. Our customers have felt the incompetency levels rising and they are not amused. Anger levels are rising and instances of frustration are almost a daily occurrence in concourses throughout Delta’s sphere of influence.

People have choices in bad economies and flying is quickly becoming a luxury again where customers can and will abandon the less dedicated in favor of quick, courteous and competent handling.

We should be finding ways to keep our best and our brightest; they are our only way out of this wilderness of poor customer service. We already have ‘revolving door’ executives; let’s end the madness of losing our best and brightest by unionizing now. Let’s keep these jobs ones worth having – jobs protected by a legally binding and enforceable contract. Our future is dependant on our willingness to provide ourselves and our coworkers a reason to stay.