Questions From The Front Line

A pro-union ACS in ATL has been talking to some of the Ready Reserves in that station about what questions concern them most. Some experienced IAM workers were asked to take a shot at answering these questions.

How important is it for the IAM to negotiate the following issues into a future contract?

Ensuring Competitive Wages and Full Time Positions - We want to make this a career job again. That means higher starting wages and knocking time off of the ten year top out. It also means bringing Northwest workers up to Delta wages and moving up from there. The pilot's contract has set the bar. They get around 4% increase per year in their contract. That is a good place to start.

Equal Benefits for F/T, P/T and Ready Reserve - IAM members would be very unlikely to agree to a contract which includes the Ready Reserve program. It's not a good deal for any worker. It helps to create a 'revolving door' job. The Ready Reserve program destabilizes every job. Permanent employment with higher percentages of full time positions, that is what we are after. As far as benefits go: the only difference between full time and part time should be the number of hours worked.

Affordable Health and Dental Care - The IAM would take the best from both plans. Coverage for IAM members in most cases is somewhat better than for Delta workers, so we would want coverage equalized upward and increased for all workers.

Reestablishing a Company Funded Pension - Right now Northwest workers participate in the IAM National Pension Fund. Northwest Airlines contributes 95 cents per hour per employee into that fund. A joint board of union and management representatives oversees the health of that fund, guaranteeing substantial pension payments for retiring workers. It is fully funded at 114%. Delta workers would be included in the National Pension Fund when workers vote on and ratify a contract. The IAM would also seek to increase the contribution from Delta. Delta, once fully merged, will be the biggest airline in the world. They would like to set the industry standard for wages, much like Walmart does in retail. And they would like to do it without interference of organized workers. The result would be the Walmartization of all our jobs. Lets stand together with the IAM to give ourselves a voice and secure our future.

Our Voice…Our Delta…Our Future…Vote IAM