Delta AFA Flight Attendant Hotline 3/5/2007

Today is Monday, March 5, 2007 and this is an updated hotline message for all Delta Air Lines flight attendants. ATL based flight attendant and AFA supporter, Marilyn Bowden reporting...

Another Busy Week at Delta - AFA Activists Launch "Operation: Recruit"

The air was buzzing with the big news this week at Delta Air Lines. That’s right. Your activists and flying partners introduced the next phase of our campaign -- Operation Recruit which propels us ahead on our quest for a contract. We are now looking to fill open positions in our mobilization campaign. We need your help - please lend your involvement to one of the following:

Phone Tree Activists – Join the campaign by letting us assign you ten (10) fellow flight attendants in your community for the duration of the campaign. You can even have your flight attendant friends or neighbors assigned to you. Simply CLICK HERE, then click the state you live in. An email will be sent the activist(s) in your region and we will take it from there.

Base Mobilization Activists – If you are not willing to be assigned ten (10) flight attendants in your community, perhaps you might be willing to simply carry AFA cards, bag tags or other educational campaign materials with you on your trips? If so, send an email to deltaorganizing@deltaafa.org and we'll do the rest.

Shortly, Delta AFA supporters will be contacting flight attendants who have expressed interest in helping to support the effort. If a Delta flight attendant contacts you to help out, we hope you’ll offer your talents and support. It is incredibly important that we continue to grow our momentum in this campaign. We are moving forward at a positive pace and continued growth in our support base will push us further toward our goal of having a voice in our future.

Paulette Dances Into Retirement, But the Band Plays On

You may have heard that Paulette Corbin has decided to retire from her position at Delta Air Lines. We can’t help but wonder if Delta will assume that she will be working elsewhere in the future and will increase her Social Security offset in the same manner that our own pension is administered.

While we have rebutted several of her communications over the past few months, we need to remember that most of these derive from the union-busting consultants. We need to remind ourselves that this isn’t a struggle against people. It’s about changing a process. It’s about involving ourselves in our careers at a higher level than we currently have - only with a legal contract can we really have a voice in our future at Delta.

One of the basic tools of an anti-union consultant is to change the direct manager of the group considering representation. This gives the illusion of a new direction and a fresh outlook in the department. Remember when Jenny Poole retired? Let’s take a look back on the fresh face that replaced her. It was none other than Sharon Wibben. Was that really a refreshing change? The fact remains that without a union to represent us, the flight attendants remain victims to the whims of management no matter who is running the show. Don’t let this change deter us from our goal: a contract that represents our investment in Delta Air Lines.

Whoever Paulette’s replacement is, we hope that person will establish a relationship of respect and professionalism with the flight attendant group. However, no matter who that person is, they still can not provide legally enforceable job and seniority protections -- they can't change the fact that we still will not be in the strongest position to restore our lost wages and working conditions -- and they can't change the fact that we will still not have a seat at the table.

On a personal and professional note, we wish Paulette well in her future endeavors.

Check Your Mail This Week - You May Be Hearing From Us

In a mailing this week we will be contacting many flight attendants to remind them that their card has either expired or will do so soon. If you receive this mailing, please send in a new card. Also, we have enclosed four (4) additional cards in this mailer -- and we would like your assistance in getting four (4) of our flying partners to send in a card as well. We know we can count on you !

It’s Tax Time, Let the Crying Begin

Finally, as March begins most of us will be occupied with 2006 Tax Returns. My Accountant always sends me a booklet with the previous years' numbers itemized to compare. Since our paychecks arrive every two weeks we slowly adjust our families’ needs based on what we have. However, this is an excellent time to reflect on where we stand today versus just a couple of short years ago. At a time when Jerry Grinstein has set a date to emerge from what was a very grueling bankruptcy, he is announcing the future of our business to the world with pride. He is ordering new equipment and making bold predictions. Let's remember that we, Delta flight attendants, have had a direct effect on this outcome. We should be excited and anticipate the next phase of OUR future at Delta.

Just as we are responsible to management for our schedules, just as we are responsible to the government for our taxes, we need to be responsible to ourselves for our future. We shouldn’t forget our important part of the equation that makes Delta a successful company.

Delta flight attendants are the face of this airline -- we have "smiled at the door" thru our professional sacrifices around the globe and around the clock. Now is the time to keep our heads held high and be proud of what WE have accomplished and protect our future. Let's negotiate it together with AFA! We can WIN TOGETHER!

This concludes the hotline message. This message will be updated next week or sooner if necessary. In the meantime, take care of each other out there on the line.

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#