Delta AFA Flight Attendant Hotline 2/26/2007

Today is Monday, February 26th and this is an updated hotline message for all Delta Air Lines flight attendants. SAN based flight attendant and AFA supporter, Mark Stell reporting...

It’s Been a Busy Week for Delta’s Corporate Communications

One thing is for sure; our campaign to join AFA is having a huge impact on our departmental and executive management. This week we were bombarded with various communications designed to discourage us from supporting any effort to acquire professional representation. While it’s not the goal of this campaign to rebut every communication produced by Delta management, there were many issues that did warrant an immediate response. These communications will continue to be available in the “Tools for Activists” section of our website at www.DeltaAFA.org .

Paulette Corbin Responds to Delta AFA Activists

On February 22nd, Paulette Corbin sent an email to all Delta flight attendants responding to the January 30th letter signed by 92 Delta AFA activists. Sadly, Corbin’s letter failed to address the primary issues we raised. Instead, she introduced a new agenda of promises which fall far short of our goal to secure real protections in a legally binding contract. Let me briefly touch on some of these issues:

Seniority: Many of you have told us you are growing increasingly tired of Paulette’s use of the American/TWA “transaction” in her effort to discredit our attempt to secure job and seniority protections. Paulette would gain more credibility if she would admit that TWA and American flight attendants were neither members of AFA, nor did they have the constitutional and contractual protections we seek with AFA. Attacking AFA for a merger they had no involvement with, is like advocating the dismantling of the entire government, because certain laws or congressional leaders fail to adequately protect the interests of citizens. As advocates to join AFA, we are not seeking to join the unions involved in the TWA / American merger, nor are we interested in electing leaders who might leave us as vulnerable as TWA flight attendants. When Delta flight attendants join AFA, we are confident that we will be protected by AFA’s ‘date-of-hire’ merger policy – in addition to our goal of acquiring industry leading 'contractual' job security. If management stands behind their stated support for these protections, then they should have no problem agreeing to them at the bargaining table.
Union Dues: Paulette asks: “Is paying monthly union dues out of your own pocket a good and necessary investment for you?” The answer is simple: “Yes.” When we achieve contractual protections in pay, benefits and work rules – those protections far outweigh $39.00 a month. When you add the services that are available to AFA members, like their award-winning Employee Assistance Program, Union Plus programs and other benefits, our response is a resounding YES !
Seniority List: Not surprisingly, Delta executives will not give us a copy of our seniority list. The only reason Paulette would cite was that the list contains “personal information” and that management has an obligation to protect our privacy. This explanation is flawed – because the seniority list doesn’t contain any contact information – only our names, hire dates, leave status and placement on the list. While managements’ attempt to protect our “privacy” would seem reasonable (if it were valid), it doesn’t appear to stop them from sending vendors (like Dasani water) our home addresses for self-promotional purposes.

Paulette’s letter describes many new and exciting opportunities after bankruptcy. She promises raises, profit sharing, real-time rewards, and most ironically, voice and access. Here’s my problem with “voice and access.”

From 2000 to 2005 I worked on the Delta Flight Attendant Forum to be a part of management’s definition of “voice and access.” As the Los Angeles Base Chair and as the System Secretary of the Forum I was well regarded in my efforts to bridge the communication divide between management and flight attendants. Despite the Forum’s intricate by-laws and peer election processes, it was still controlled and manipulated by management at every turn.

Regardless of management’s desire to include us, we will never have an effective opportunity to define or shape our work environment without a contract. Our relationship with management will never be an equal partnership until we have the legal authority to bargain and negotiate.

Paulette did make one inspiring comment in her last paragraph. She said, “The decision to consider union representation is a personal and private one - and one that I respect.” Only time will tell if Paulette is sincere in this statement. To-date, however, it certainly does not appear that management can resist injecting themselves in this “personal and private” decision.

Flight Attendants, Prepare for: OPERATION RECRUIT

Beginning shortly, Delta AFA supporters will begin a new phase to our campaign in which we will be contacting flight attendants who have expressed interest in helping or have shown some support for the effort. If a Delta flight attendant contacts you to help out, we hope you’ll offer your talents in one of the following (2) two ways;

Phone Tree Activists – Flight attendants willing to be assigned ten (10) fellow flight attendants in their community for the duration of the campaign.

Base Mobilization Activists – Flight attendants simply willing to carry cards, flyers and other educational campaign materials with them on their trips.

Again, we hope we can count on your support and assistance.

Thank you. Take care of yourself and our flying partners. Tune in next week for another message.

-- To Listen To The Hotline, Call 1-800-424-2401, Press 1 Then 720 # --

Previous hotline messages

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO
501 Third Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-434-1300

Delta AFA Hotline: 1-800 424-2401, press 1, then 720#