Delta Tells Employees To Shut Up In Japan

[NWApilot]

NOTE: THE TITLE OF THIS POST IS AN ERROR. Moderator's, please delete.

 

[WorldTraveler]

At an "Informational Question & Answer" meeting at Tokyo's Narita Radisson Hotel yesterday afternoon, employees were told to shut up by an enthusiastic Delta "South" pilot while the leaders of the gathering smiled and nodded in agreement. Prior to that, the meeting had been civil, with concerned employees asking questions about the evacuation plan and radiation hazards. When a question about Sodium Iodine pills arose, the official Delta response was they won't be supplied and they're bad for you anyway. Upon further questioning it was revealed that Delta was trying to get the pills, but hadn't been able to yet. However it was re-stated that the pills would not be distributed even once acquired. When asked how the pills were bad for you, "I don't know" was the response. It was at this point that the Delta South pilot jumped up and berated everybody for asking questions. Something to the effect of "I'm in the military and you people need personal accountability. Quit your whining and trust Delta Airlines. Have some personal accountability." During this idiotic tirade, the gentleman and lady giving the briefing smiled and nodded. This effectively ended the briefing. By all reports the morning briefing ended in a similar fashion.

This is what most employees took from the briefing.
1. Delta will tell you what you need to know.
2. Delta will ignore any information that conflicts with the Delta position.
3. Delta has an evacuation plan in place. It's a good plan but there is no conceivable situation that would cause Delta to implement the plan. No matter how bad the situation gets.
4. Delta will not implement even minimal plans to safeguard employee health. (Iodine pills)
5. If you have any concerns or questions, shut up. Trust Delta.

To be honest, I have a hard time believing that this briefing accurately portrayed the Delta management position. However, the briefing certainly left a bad taste in the mouth of many employees. My hope is that management will send people that will actually address employee concerns in Japan.

Since this is obviously not an objective but a highly subjective account of what happened at the meeting, who was it who was there? You? Someone else?

If you don't agree with how DL is protecting you, I would presume you have options such as to call in sick or file a union complaint - or if you feel they are not being safe, file a complaint with the US government bodies that oversee worker safety.

What is your point in posting here? Are you wanting to organize a campaign of letter writers on your behalf? Want us to call OSHA for you? Do you prefer to use the anonymity of an internet chat board to "file a complaint?"

Or are you passing someone else's account of the meeting and don't personally have knowledge of what went on?

BTW I don't think telling anyone to shut up accomplishes anyone and pilot what's his name should have been told that his presence would be more useful on the ATL-JNB or TLV route (depending on what he flies).

 

[eolesen]

WT: "What is your point in posting here? Are you wanting to organize a campaign of letter writers on your behalf? Want us to call OSHA for you? Do you prefer to use the anonymity of an internet chat board to "file a complaint?" Or are you passing someone else's account of the meeting and don't personally have knowledge of what went on?"


Translation: "Shut up & trust Delta."

 

[NWApilot]

no, I wasn't at the meeting. however, I was informed of it and don't like the way the employees were treated at the meeting.

 

[eolesen]

Their evacuation plan appears pretty well thought out from what I've been hearing.

I can understand DL not wanting to go into too much detail -- sometimes hearing the extent of the contingency planning can freak people out more than the situation warrants...

 

[Nak]

I was at the meeting. I'm not going to discuss what was said other than to say that the rude individual WAS NOT one of the official briefers. I don't think you can or should hold Delta responsible for what some wacko at a meeting says. Also, if you do have a problem with the briefing, I think it's appropriate to discuss the situation with your supervisor before you post on an open forum. Just my opinion. I'm not downplaying, or confirming, your reservations about the briefing. I just don't think this is the best place to discuss those reservations.

 

[Kev3188]

Anyone telling their fellow employees in a meeting of this nature to "shut up" needs to kindly f**k off.

WT-- The Fear of Flying agreement the AFA and NW had went out the window in November. Some people are being told that refusing a trip is an accountable occurrence, and some are being told it's not. Point being, policy is being inconsistently applied.

Nak-- Did Sandy Gordon bring her family? That'd been a good way for DL to put their money where their mouth is...

 

[Kev3188]

1. Delta will tell you what you need to know. what they they want you to know...

 

[BABABOOY]

seems some on here are taking the bait and running with it.
Quick to believe anything that is posted.. sad... and BTW..

Delta South? come on.

Just another post to further your agenda and others easily (predictably) fall for it.

 

[Kev3188]

Who's agenda?

 

[WorldTraveler]

I don't know the specifics either, E, but the bottom line is that DL does have to meet government requirements and there is a HUGE amount of hysteria being generated by the US media over a situation they clearly don't know anything about other than what Japanese gov't is telling them.

The US gov't is being much more aggressive in telling the truth - including protecting US service people. I don't think for a minute they would be allowing US airlines to oeprate if they didn't believe it was safe for them to do so... and I think they are also behind the scenes telling the Japanese government what needs to really be done for the public as a whole.

Nak has it dead on..... I think it was fairly certain that the mouth at the meeting wasn't speaking for DL and even if people don't agree with what was said, posting a biiased summary of the meeting doesn't accomplish anything - which was why I asked what the purpose was.

Kev,
I'm not sure what the Fear of Flying agreement involved but I would like to think that ALL DL people would operate on the basis of facts rather than media hyseria.

We shouldn't expect Sandy Gordon's family to have to come to work to prove whether it is safe for DL employees to work. There are scientific bases for determining that.. the same way there are regarding any other risk to which any employee is exposed on the job - and to which DL is viable should it violate those standards.

What I would like to know - and what I doubt we'll know - is how DL is rerouting aircraft away from the radiation zones, how they are monitoring radiation on DL aircraft and in work areas for DL employees - and I am CERTAIN that both are happening - and how DL employees in Japan are being prepared - and we on this forum likely won't know the answers to any of those.

What seems highly likely is that DL is genuinely using the appropriate resources to protect its employees and assets; it would be far cheaper to cancel the operation than to be exposed to billions of dollars in liability.

 

[Kev3188]

Nak has it dead on..... I think it was fairly certain that the mouth at the meeting wasn't speaking for DL and even if people don't agree with what was said, posting a biiased summary of the meeting doesn't accomplish anything - which was why I asked what the purpose was.

No one here has claimed the pilot was running the show. In fact it was quite clear in the OP that they were part of the audience.

I'm not sure what the Fear of Flying agreement involved but I would like to think that ALL DL people would operate on the basis of facts rather than media hyseria.

This isn't the time to belittle people's legitimate concerns.

We shouldn't expect Sandy Gordon's family to have to come to work to prove whether it is safe for DL employees to work.

Hey, they want to sell everyone on it being safe, that'd sure be an effective way to do it. (shrugs)...

 

[WorldTraveler]

I don't see it belittling to say that there are scientific, measurable ways to measure safety - and they should extend to all times and all employees, not just whether an exec's family can be there or not....

If Fear of Flying had no basis other than someone's unsubstantiated unwillingness to want to go to work, perhaps it deserved to be cut.

Sure the loud mouth pilot was not running the show but we could have stopped the OPs post at the fact that there wer no issues w/ the meeting - as he best heard them since he clearliy wasn't there as he admitted - and asked what the problem was. Someone apparently had a problem w/ what was said or not said at the meeting and the read says that the majority of people who were there were OK w/ it all until he spoke up... and we still dont' know that he really aroused any legitimate concerns from the majority of participants.

Seeing the event in its proper context is all I was and am after.

 

[Kev3188]

FoF wasn't based on "unsubstantiated unwillingness" to go to work. Again, with the out of hand dismissal...

Plenty of 1st hand accounts on other boards show a real lack of cohesion on DL's part, and an abject "unwillingness" to address it's employee's concern. A cheery memo, and a conference call or two might cut it for those of us stateside; those at Camp Narita clearly feel otherwise.

BTW, why doesn't DL set up a volunteer list for those that actually might want to go?

 

[WorldTraveler]

let's get to the title of this thread for starters... DL didn't tell anyone "to shut up"... there's the distortion.

have you measured the stress level in Japan overall. Don't you think those folks are a tad stressed anyway... but they still manage to operate a full schedule and a basically on-time operation... which goes to show that like so much, the real dissatisfaction that supposedly exists probably is limited to a few rather noisy people.

If there were a perceived need for protection under Fear of Flying, it would have factored in the vote for the AFA... but apparently most FAs (including a fair number of PMNW AFA members) thought the AFA was the only thing to be feared.