ITS A NUMBERS GAME
SMALL INVESTMENT TODAY, BIG PRICE TO PAY TOMORROW

“One of the very noticeable ways that management is reducing the “yes” votes on the NWA side is the hiring freeze that has been in effect for the last 6 months or more. My station and every other station where I know people have been working shorter.” From a recent deltaramp.blogspot post.

We have been noticing the same thing; reports that the overtime checkbook at NWA is wide open with double time being given out like candy at many stations. On the one hand, this represents financial rescue for many Northwest workers, many of whom are making up for income lost when spouses and partners are laid off or who face other financial challenges.

But does it represent a conscious strategy by Delta to defeat the IAM? We do know that MSP, DTW, MEM, SFO, PHX, BOS, BWI, ATL, ORD, and DEN are all working short handed and OT is plentiful. We know that hiring hasn’t happened in months. These stations represent over 90% of the baggage handlers at Northwest, so one would have to say this is a system wide phenomena. This approach does keep the number of IAM members down.

We also know that Delta is opening up positions on the ramp to Delta employees in some stations where work had previously been outsourced. PHX, DFW, ORD, SFO and PDX are among them. In fact, workers are being hired off the street by Delta in some of these locations. It is also a fact that Northwest ramp employees with bids into these stations are not being allowed to bid on these jobs.

Delta says it is opening up outsourced stations partly to allow employees who might otherwise be laid off to bid to and open position. We are all for this. We want all Delta and Northwest employees to keep their jobs. But it makes absolutely no sense to prevent NWA baggage handlers who want to go to one of these stations from bidding there, especially when Delta is hiring off the street. In SFO 67 Ready Reserve employees are being hired to work the ramp. Nothing prevents Delta from using NW baggage handlers to help do the work in that station.