Delta Ramp Workers Organizing Committee

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Seniority Is Everything

For union members at NWA seniority rules almost all aspects of our work lives. It determines when we take our vacations, what jobs we do, whether we get a promotion or whether we get a new job in a new city. Seniority is literally the glue that holds the union together. It is the fairest way of deciding questions in the workplace.

Seniority cuts across favoritism. Without seniority, management gets to decide who does what job. Favoritism is toxic to building a culture of solidarity in the workplace. Favoritism creates an atmosphere friendly to management, to deal making, to worker back stabbing worker to gain some favor. It can tip the balance of power in favor of management quickly. It creates fear.

Although overtime is not regulated by seniority, but by equality of distribution, it is another example of regulation that favors workers. Our union stewards and Shop Committee carefully monitor overtime to make sure that it is distributed with reasonable equality. At the end of the year, the Company must pay money to those workers who did not get an opportunity to work OT. Imagine if overtime was handed out at the whim of a manager, as opposed to an overtime list.

At Delta Air Lines (subject to change at any time) seniority does determine some conditions of work, such as vacation and work area. But many questions are totally in management hands; promotions, station to station bids, overtime, whether you work in a bin or on transfers. Pretty important stuff.

This is not to say that deals are not cut between management and workers at NWA. Sometime workers are passed over for overtime illegally. Sometime managers try to use needs of service to justify any action they want. And we fight those actions on a regular basis. We try to create a culture of fairness and solidarity.

Seniority (as opposed to favoritism) plays a key part in creating an atmosphere where we are not afraid of managers. Read what Brian Vaughn, a 20 year ramp worker at Delta, had to say to his coworkers at Delta about his visit to our ramp in MSP several months ago.

He said, “I have to admit that it was a little unusual for me to talk about union stuff without some form of management telling me to leave the break room and take my union literature with me. But not in a union break room. I spoke freely. I answered any questions asked. And the guys and ladies at NWA were not afraid to ask anything. They weren’t afraid of the big bad supervisor. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!! You will enjoy seeing the same thing!!!! There is a whole different world coming your way.”

Richard Anderson and friends don’t think this is beautiful. They think a “direct relationship”, where they hold all the cards and we hold none, is beautiful.

Vote Union, Vote IAM