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Delta AFA Flight Attendant Hotline 6/18/2007Today is Monday, June 18th and this is an updated hotline message for all Delta Air Lines flight attendants. SAS based flight attendant and AFA supporter, Mark Stell reporting... Is this "Flight Attendant Feedback" for real?On May 31, 2007, IFS management posted on the IFS website a "Catering Update" that included the below comment:
When I first read this service change announcement I thought to myself, “What flight attendant would seriously ask management to reduce first class meals?” Hey, it’s not that I support wasting food. And I certainly support cost saving initiatives, especially when the proceeds could be funneled back to improving employee wages and benefits. But I can’t imagine making, let alone implementing, a decision that would put frontline flight attendants in an indefensible customer service position. Like many of my peers when I first read this management decision I thought it was penny wise, pound foolish. Then I flew a trip where my A-line was put in the uncompromising position of explaining to a full fare, first class customer why he had no meal when he clearly paid for one. Talk about a hostile situation. And what could my A-line say? It’s not like she could whip out the service change announcement to show our customer who was responsible for this decision because it would have been us! Okay, I don’t think management is out to get us, or even consciously make our lives miserable. But this is NOT what I call valued representation. There is a serious disconnect between what Delta flight attendants want and need versus what management “thinks” Delta flight attendants want and need. They can hold all the conference calls and employee involvement groups blitzes they want - but they will never truly appreciate our perspective or issues because they ARE management - not frontline flight attendants. As members of the AFA we will have peer elected representatives to bargain and negotiate with our management leaders. These same peer elected leaders will have a legal authority to work with our management in an environment of equals. We all want Delta to succeed, but to make this happen we have to work together in an environment of independence and trust. The Delta-AFA Campaign Announces New Communication Opportunities!1. New Regional / National Delta-AFA Conference Calls
2. More communication between our Delta AFA base leaders and our frontline flight attendant activists
3. Working with the media who are very interested in our campaign
4. Amazing support from London based International Transport Worker’s Federation
5. Delta-AFA Newsletter
Who is Worried About Mergers and our Seniority?The airline merger din seems to have died down since Delta’s emergence from bankruptcy and the foiled attempt by U.S. Airways to merge with Delta. But have a look at the headlines from last week. There still seems to be plenty of speculation that airline mergers will occur. And the arrival of Skybus Airlines and Virgin American don’t bode well for the established Low Cost Carriers either. These new airlines will employ very inexpensive labor making competition fierce. I know that Delta management has promised to protect our seniority -- but there is nothing ironclad about a promise. I will sleep much better at night once we have a legally binding agreement that will spell out our seniority protections in the advent of a sale, merger, acquisition or whatever term management creates down the road. Who knows, depending on who does the financial dealing, decisions about our seniority could be made by someone coming in from the outside. I shudder to think! AP United Airlines Remains Interested in a Merger, CFO Jake Brace Says Financial Times Southwest Airlines said on Wednesday that it was examining potential acquisitions and alliances with multiple carriers, a signal that industry consolidation could emerge among the fast-growing low-cost segment. Gary Kelly, chief executive, said the largest US domestic airline had the funding to support acquisitions, despite a slowdown in revenue growth across the industry which is challenging its expansion plans and profit forecasts. His comments followed a recent signal by Delta Air Lines, which emerged from bankruptcy protection in April, of interest in a future combination with JetBlue, the second-largest low-cost carrier. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reported the interest after a management meeting, though Delta has played down its significance. NOW Is The Time To Get Involved!Stay focused on our future and the future of Delta. Only when we have a legal voice will we get the respect and guarantees that we need for long-term, career protection. Send in your AFA card today. Join the campaign and lend your voice to the 1,000's of Delta flight attendants who believe we are worth more. We encourage you to subscribe to JoinTogether by sending an email to jointogether@afanet.org and to visit the Crew Lounge discussion forum at www.ItsTimeDelta.net. 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. -- To Listen To The Hotline, Call 1-800-424-2401, Press 1 Then 720 # -- |
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# |