Grassroots Efforts at DL for ACS and FAs, no personal attacks.

[WorldTraveler]

and it goes back DECADES, long before deregulation, long before Western, Pan Am, or Northwest.

It is a key means by which DL matches staffing with travel demand which is far from constant on a year round basis.

It is also the reason why DL's full-time employees have been able to be better paid and retain job security where other airlines have been unable to provide it.

those who find it offensive don't understand or refuse to accept the reasons for it - and are messing with their own job security and pay in order to push for their sense of equality - when those who work in RR or PT positions knew EXACTLY what they were agreeing to when they took those positions.

as much as some want to argue otherwise, the DL culture is a well-defined and well-tested formula that will come apart when labor starts trying to pull out pieces of the puzzle without being willing to give something else up.

Richard Anderson wasn't kidding nor was he mistaken that the Delta culture is well-established and cannot endure for workgroups that choose to unionize and attempt to force their own solutions instead of DL's formula that existed longer than any person on this forum has worked for or will work for DL.

the union mindset has been that they can push DL to give more and more on top of the fastest rates of compensation in the US airline industry - and well above most of the rest of US businesses as well.

Not only do DL employees who think they are going to push DL for more on their terms have virtually no negotiating power given the overall size of what DL is paying relative to competitors, but DL and no other company are candy store that employees can walk into to demand what they want on top of already very generous compensation.

Employees are a commodity just like fuel. Fuel doesn't talk back but it is a service.

Those DL employees who think they have the wisdom to redefine the way DL has succeeded for years might well find out that they are nothing more than a supplier or MRO that DL drops only to find another.

those are cold, hard words but they are ones that need to be spoken to those who arrogantly are convinced they know better than DL mgmt. and who think they can redefine a very successful strategy that has worked for decades.

 

[700UW]

Kev,

Remember this?
 

 

[700UW]

 
Delta Corporate Announces Another Year of Industry-Leading Profits as Delta Flight Attendants Remain Far Below Industry Peers

Delta Corporate announced Tuesday another annual earnings record of $4.5 billion, approximately $2 billion more than 2013's previous record.

Delta CEO Richard Anderson touted our "industry-leading operation, superior customer service and a 70 percent increase in profits" in a statement to investors.

As Delta Flight Attendants, we are key drivers of our airlines' superior financial and operational performance, yet we remain far below industry-leading in wages, benefits and work-rules.

We are 26 percent behind industry-leading wages right now. We have the most expensive health insurance among our industry peers and our prescription drug costs keep climbing every year. Our "work-rules" are merely suggestions and change at Delta Corporate's whim, without our consent. With a Voice we will change this.

We are a talented, intelligent, positive and inclusive group who can make Delta a better airline for everyone by gaining a Voice in our future.

When our election is set remember to Vote Yes for a Voice, Vote Yes for IAM.

 

[Kev3188]

 

Kev,
Remember this?
 

How could I forget?

 

[WorldTraveler]

of course you couldn't... but it came from NW.

and the Machinists continues with their deceptive claims trying to say that DL FA salaries are below average because they refuse to consider profit sharing - which doesn't fit in the IAM's 2x2 inch box and which the IAM has consistently traded away at other airlines.

 

[700UW]

 

[WorldTraveler]

I agree with Gov. Dayton.

I do not and have not for years believed that unions will improve the lot for DL's non-union employees.

if a majority of DL employees in a workgroup believe they can get a better deal thru another method than what DL offers, then let them make that choice.

problem is that it is virtually impossible to admit that DL was right all along and return to non-union status which is why Mr. Anderson has said a union vote will permanently change the DL culture for those employee groups who choose a union.

 

[700UW]

I bet the FAs would love to have the same relationship DALPA has with DL.

 

[metopower]

Indeed. And yet, the company continues to tell people it could take years...

Because it will...in my opinion. Iam is in this to make a statement that THEY are relevant and a force for the industry. By getting a contract that Exceeds the rank and files expectations they would achieve THEIR goals. Iam has to exceed or people will complain that they did not get their monies worth from them. Let's be clear the only attraction for a union is for better conditions then without. DL will be negotiating for not only DL but the industry. Therefore my opinion is that it will be a long fight. An inhouse union would be better then an outside one. I know your buddy thinks DALPA is just ALPA with a D in front but I think you may know differently .You may see something else but I don't.

 

[Kev3188]

That theory assumes that it was the IAM that courted the DL FAs. It was actually the other way around.

 

[metopower]

That theory assumes that it was the IAM that courted the DL FAs. It was actually the other way around.

If that was your answer to my post I have to raise a Huge flag. Who ever approached the iam was the same group or individuals that pursued the previous union drive. The iam is just the vehicle.You representation that the iam did not peruse the DL FA's is Disingenuous in my opinion

 

[WorldTraveler]

first, you continue to assume that the FAs actually want a union and aren't just playing the company like they have done on 3 other occasions.

and even if the IAM is chosen by the FAs, it doesn't change that you and a whole lot of other people seem to think that you can make the choice better than DL has done for you... that is exactly the argument that you have made for years.

If you or the FAs think they can get a better deal, then go with it - but there is no RESET button. When you and them find out how good it was before, there is no way to go back.

and meto is right.

The IAM is all about making a statement of their own relevance.

DL will be just as certain to make it clear that the first major non-pilot group that goes unionized will be sorely disappointed.

That is exactly what you would expect a company to do that didn't want to see its major non-pilot workgroups unionize.

you naively believe that DL is just going to roll over and keep throwing cash at the FAs and agree to a quick contract.

nothing could be further from the truth.

you've read the books on union busting.

why don't you tell us what is in them when a union actually exists?

you might actually find some examples that hit very close to home.

 

[Kev3188]

If that was your answer to my post I have to raise a Huge flag. Who ever approached the iam was the same group or individuals that pursued the previous union drive. The iam is just the vehicle.You representation that the iam did not peruse the DL FA's is Disingenuous in my opinion

You're certainly free to feel however you want about me, but that doesn't change the fact that it was rank and file FAs who reached out to the IAM, and not the other way around. People sometimes don't want to hear that because it shatters the IAM-as-predator narrative some are working so hard to cultivate. But reality's like that sometimes...

 

[WorldTraveler]

and what was the reason they reached out to the IAM but because the IAM had considerable inroads at NW where most of the union activity originates.

and because the AFA was voted out... how many times did the AFA lose, Kevin?

you just can't wrap your head around the idea that DL employees are not going to embrace a national union and if they do, DL mgmt. will absolutely ensure they are cut off so fast no other Dl employee will think twice about doing the same thing.

why is it that you and others are so quick to remind us that Anderson was at NW before but seem unwilling to believe that he doesn't remember a few things about how NW kept labor in check, even if he wasn't the executioner in chief with NW's unions?

 

[metopower]

You're certainly free to feel however you want about me, but that doesn't change the fact that it was rank and file FAs who reached out to the IAM, and not the other way around. People sometimes don't want to hear that because it shatters the IAM-as-predator narrative some are working so hard to cultivate. But reality's like that sometimes...

You asked and I answered . I don't have a narrative on the iam. To paint a picture of FA's beating down the door or the iam answering that door makes little difference to me. If you can claim that the iam is not the driving force or financial engine for this drive I would love to hear it. If your claim was that they came to the iam with 12000 cards in hand I would believe your claim.