AFA Strategy

If We Unite, We Can Change This Nation!

Delegates from the Association of Flight Attendants and other CWA affiliated unions had a terrific send-off at the CWA Convention and Legislative-Political Conference this week from Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. Vice President Biden reminded us that if we unite we can change this nation. He said the Obama administration is committed to giving workers the bargaining power we need to rebuild the middle class. The idea "is not anti-business. It isn't anti-corporate. It isn't anti-anything," Biden said. "It's pro making sure that people who have a stake in the game and a contribution to make are able to sit at the table. You can't do that if you can't get organized. We need to restore some balance to this system." Senator Harkin shared a well-known saying from the halls of Congress, "If you aren't at the bargaining table, you're on the menu," and Secretary Solis assured us that after eight years, the Department of Labor is finally "back in the enforcement business." To view the videos of speakers from the CWA Convention and Legislative Political Conference, click HERE. For the rest of this article, click HERE.

Do We Really Need A Union?

"There is little doubt that American workers need unions. Wages today are almost 10% lower than they were in 1973 after accounting for inflation. The share of the national income devoted to workers' wages and benefits is at its lowest since the late 1960s while the share going to profits has surged."

The New York Times February 7, 2008

Some flight attendants think a Delta-Northwest merger won't affect us or that being non-union might even be good for us. REALITY CHECK:

One of the main reasons for a merger is to cut costs even further. Pardus Capital and other shareholders want the merged airline to cut costs by $1.5 billion. If history is any guide, management will seek most of those cuts from workers. If we do not have a union and a seat at the table we will have no say in what cuts could be made and no legal recourse.

What would life be like without a legally binding contract?

  • contract pay raises can turn into pay cuts any time management deems it necessary;
  • work rules can be imposed, changed or eliminated at any time, not just during a bankruptcy;
  • jobs can be outsourced and/or eliminated;
  • in fact, you can be terminated with no recourse or right to grievance.
  • airline executives will have absolute control over your careers and will have no right to negotiate changes in our pay, benefits and working conditions.

So, the answer is obvious:  YES, we need a union and we need a legally binding contract.

WHY UNIONS TODAY?

Without a union and a union contract airline executives have absolute control over our wages and benefits. No negotiations. No input. No voice in our own careers. Even improvements are illusory – management could snatch them away at any time.

The protections and provisions workers expect nowadays (fair wages, benefits, scope, paid vacations, sick leave, etc.) were not simply given to workers from employers; rather, they were fought for and won by workers who stood together in unions and demanded what was right, fair and just. These people had the courage to stand up against the mill owners, the railroad owners and the land barons, and in the process they helped create a prosperous middle class. Although it was a long, hard battle to obtain these rights, they could be lost very easily and very quickly, if we should back away from similar challenges now facing us.

Working people, including flight attendants, today more than ever need a union for legal rights and economic protections. Executives look out for themselves first, and the shareholders second. Did you know that a CEO of an S & P 500 company made on average of $15.06 million total compensation in 2006? Twenty years ago CEO compensation was roughly 40 times that of their average worker; today's CEO makes over 400 times the pay of the average worker. Their interests are safeguarded but our interests are only protected if we have a union and a union contract.

DELTA AIR LINES

On February 14, 2008, Delta flight attendants filed cards with the National Mediation Board (NMB) seeking an election for union representation. Whatever the results of that election, we applaud their efforts to take a stand for their individual and collective futures. Delta flight attendants have taken the first step toward a more secure future and better working environment.

Why does a representation election for Delta flight attendants matter for us at Northwest? With a potential merger close to being announced between Northwest and Delta, the collective future of the Northwest and Delta Flight attendants may soon be inextricably linked. We cannot stand alone and expect benevolence from airline executives with regard to our futures; instead our first line of defense is to stand together. We are better together.

Remember, the goal of every airline CEO is profit above all else. We do not oppose profits, we simply want our fair share. Promises are one thing, but we can't count on them. Without a legally binding contract we are at the mercy of the executives. Without a union we will have no voice and no seat at the bargaining table. Even if those executives dole out some improvements, without a contract we can never count on those improvements. With out a contract we cannot enforce our compensation and our rights at work if there's a rule violation.

If you support the Delta flight attendants' efforts please tell them so the next time you see them in the airport or on the crew van. If they win their election, our contract and our union representation will never be put at risk. We would be in a position to immediately demand to negotiate over the effects of the merger, just like the pilots. If they are still non-union at the time of the merger we will have to have a representation election for the entire combined flight attendant workforce. If less than a majority of the combined workforce casts a vote in that election, we will immediately lose our contract and our union. We cannot let that happen.

With a union and a seat at the bargaining table the merger will be a different experience. Our goal would be to take the best from the Northwest contract and the best from the Delta work rules and build a contract with improvements. Without a union, the CEO of the merged airline will be free to cherry-pick the worst from both worlds.

Staying informed and standing together makes us stronger.