LEAVING WITH A SMILE

LOSING A JOB BUT FINDING A MISSING SOUL
I SHOULD HAVE LEARNED MORE OF YOUR NAMES!

The odds are that very soon Delta and I will be parting company. Actually it was their idea but I had a lot to do with it. They no longer see value in my contribution to the operation and I can’t ignore their lapses in integrity anymore. I am not bitter or mad; there is no anger or anyone to blame. It is a divorce long in the making. For quite some time now I have been on auto pilot, cruising from plane to plane doing my job but not enjoying how below average we have become.

Some days you have to walk quit a ways to find anyone who cares the way they should about what we do. That’s no way to behave but Delta seems satisfied with less and we seem ready to not disappoint them. It is obvious that Delta management is calculating how bad the service can get before the customers leave us. A temporary workforce affords Delta the luxury of not spending too much on us and they are getting what they pay for.

My city has 10 people who are indispensible. One or two are even management. If all ten stayed home on the same day we would have to shut down. Management has been promoted to levels they cannot perform at so they make supervisors do their jobs. Trouble is that this leaves the workers without sufficient direction and guidance. Implosion might be inevitable.

Had it not been for some very competent people entering my life in October of 2006 I would have already left. We invited the IAM to help organize us on the ramp into a union and they restored our dignity. They gave me back my vigor and my voice and they allowed me to use my College education. This was something Delta never asked for or even wanted.

After school for some reason I aimed low in life and eventually found myself working for Delta. I always worked hard and gave an honest days work but I don’t think Delta noticed. It didn’t seem important to them and they never challenged anyone to excel. It is not in their DNA. They don’t expect much from their workers and it shows. This is a sad commentary on a company that used to be great and has so much potential upside.

But chin up everyone. I have been extremely impressed with the Northwest people I have met. They are good, hard working agents who care about this business. The union is them. You will find that out soon and will be impressed with their work ethic and professionalism. We desperately need an infusion of what they have. It is exactly what we lack. Focus! They know where they’ve been and what they’re up against. They will not abandon each other. In other words; the union is here to stay!

Thanks also to all my Delta friends and especially those who find me tedious. I enjoy all of you and loved making some of you occasionally uncomfortable.

This was never about any one individual and so I won’t thank the bald headed friend who helped me regain my life and purpose. You are all magnificent people. I might not have learned all of your names but I appreciated every one of you; Delta and Northwest. After graduation I left the University of Utah in 1977 not even bothering to stick around to put on the cap and gown and receive my diploma.

Thanks for allowing me to finally take that walk and fulfill my promise. Union now; union yes.

Bruce K. Church