Ben Hirst and the IAM

Last week we spoke of Richard Anderson's management philosophy which included maintaining a close relationship with the unions and their leadership. Mr. Anderson believed that having an open and fair relationship with the unions was a key element to the Company's success. Today we will share Delta's General Counsel and Senior VP Ben Hirst's view on union and the IAM's role in the airline industry.

Mr. Hirst also worked at Northwest Airlines, under Richard Anderson prior to hiring on with Delta. Mr. Hirst's title then was Senior VP of Corporate Affairs. He was a key member of the Richard Anderson management team. Here are some excerpts from a speech he gave at one of our IAM District 143 Conventions.

While addressing over 100 union delegates who were in attendance, he asked the question "Why should we care about the union movement?" He then answered his question as follows: "Well, the union movement supports a decent standard of living for its members, supports job security, which in my opinion is in the Company's interest and not just the interest of individual employees... job security provides stability in a work force [and] is a very important element in delivering a product like ours and doing it in a very safe way. Because of this, you have to associate unions with family stability."

He went on to say, "Unions, because of their ability to bargain for decent wages, support not only individuals... but also the local economies." Mr. Hirst also stated, "Unions stand for safety in the workplace. That is a point I make in Washington again and again and again."

He concluded by stating, "I think at the end of the day unions stand for human dignity because they represent people coming together and standing up for themselves in an environment which sometimes is brutal enough to overlook the importance of individuals. So I tell you where I come out on all of this is that the union movement is a very good thing. I learned that in a hard school."

The IAM couldn't agree with you more, Mr. Hirst.