THE GHOSTS OF DELTA PAST


The following is a ‘real’ story that will actually happen on Christmas Eve. The setting takes place inside Richard Anderson’s bedroom as he and his wife are preparing to go to sleep.

Mrs. Anderson: Honey, you have mail on the internet. Want me to read it to you?

Richard Anderson: Yes dear.

M. A.: It is from Ms. Angel and it is to inform you that you will be visited by 3 ghosts in the night. She goes on and on about this union stuff and your treatment of your employees. I do hope they won’t be loud, I’m tired and I have an appointment with my masseuse in the morning. Please try and keep the noise down. I hate it when you take your work to bed with you.

R. A.: Yes dear. Good night, honey. By the way, why are you making your masseuse work on Christmas? I thought I was the only scrooge in the family. (Ha! Ha! From both)

Later that night as they are both sound asleep ghost no. 1 appears in the form of former Delta CEO C.E. Woolman and taps Richard on the shoulder to wake him up and take him for a ‘past’ viewing of how life was for Delta employees years ago.

R. A.: Do we really have to do this. I’ve got a full day tomorrow and I don’t actually care how good your employees had it in the past. Besides you never allowed your workers to go union so what’s the beef? I thought you would be proud of what I am doing and how rich I am becoming? Look at you! You’re dressed poorly for an ex-Chairman and wrapped in red tape. Why?

C.E.: This is ‘damaged equipment’ tape that we use in the airline business to wrap around baggage cans that have holes in them. You’d know that if you spent some more time with workers. The other ghosts in heaven make me wear it as a practical joke for hiring Ron Allen. We didn’t fear the unions because we paid top wages and benefits to NOT die for. Our employees were actually union. They just didn’t know it and that’s the way we motivated them to excel. Time for me to go you have another visitor.

Richard goes back to bed only to be visited once more by someone he knew well. Someone that he betrayed; a good man; Gerald Grinstein.

G.G.: Time to wake up Richard, I have somewhere to take you; something to show you.

R.A.: You’re not dead, what the hell are you doing in my ‘Christmas dream’ and for that matter, my bedroom!

G.G.: We don’t have enough dead CEO’s so I’m filling in. Besides, the way you and Bastian stabbed me and Whitehurst in the back, I should be dead! Now shut-up and float with me to SLC to see what you’ve done to them. There are hundreds more Ready Reserves who make lousy wages and have no benefits. Look at them standing in line to sell their plasma and blood. Not to mention the ‘other’ bodily fluid they sell. Also look at the snow on the ramp and all the bald tires on the equipment. Everything is falling apart and you 5 Delta top execs are some of the highest paid in Georgia. You know what I made my last year as Delta’s CEO? $344,000! That’s it. You greedy bastard! Now go back to sleep, you have a visitor coming.

Richard doses off one more time only to be tapped on the shoulder by another well known figure from his past; Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

S.W.: I’m going to take you to your future my boy. I’m here to congratulate you on a fine first beginning. We are all talking about you where I’m at down there and couldn’t be more proud. Getting people to work for nothing is the goal I always strived for; the image we built around the world off the backs of real slaves in far off countries who gave their all so that Americans could have cheap clothes and things. Let me show you my dream for you; float with me and see what your sneaky, conniving plans will bring!

As they floated over the Atlanta airport Sam showed Richard all the newly painted planes and the old workers. On the outside was the familiar Wal*Mart logo freshly painted. Inside the planes were very old workers who looked gaunt and hungry.

R.A.: Wow! I always wanted this as our future and it really does happen?! Are the old workers inside the planes called greeters and where are all the flight attendants?

S.W.: Those are the flight attendants, stupid! They have to work until they are ninety because they have no benefits, no medical insurance and no retirement; you saw to that. Great job! All it took was the deltanet and a few well written half-truths. You really are a master at manipulation; a true wordsmith. A pied piper leading the numbskulls to their financial doom. Good job my son, good job. Now go back to sleep and dream good dreams.

Richard crawled back into bed and snuggled up to his wife feeling, all in all, pretty good about what his Christmas Eve had brought him. He quickly fell to sleep cuddling his sweetheart closely.

Mrs. Anderson: Ohhhh, Richard you seem a little excited!

R.A.: It is Christmas Eve dear ;)