Questions & Answers
“Q & A FOR SKEPTICS”
The Anti-Union Message - Will Executives Follow This Playbook Yet Again? Click Here: AirlnExecs_NoUnion081.pdf
A. Delta’s FAs get paid more an hour than we do. Can AFA print out a side-by-side chart of wages, sick/vacation time, health benefits and other benefits for us to look at and compare?
Yes, side-by-side charts comparing wages and other important issues can and have been produced—in fact, the Delta and NWA activists who worked on their campaign produced several of them during the last Delta organizing campaign. These comparisons can be found in several Quarterly and Weekly newsletters here; http://www.deltaafa.org/delta2/Docs/DeltaNews_sum07.pdf and here; http://www.deltaafa.org/delta2/default.asp?nc=7555&id=47. An updated comparison of Delta and NWA is in development and it will show that NWA is far ahead of Delta in many areas, not least of which is the fact that a contract is legally binding. And, what is especially important for us (as NWA FAs) to remember, is that Delta FAs were under much deeper pay cuts than we were, and for far longer than we were (Delta FAs pay and benefit cuts began in 2002 while ours did not begin until the last month of 2005). It is also important for us to remember that Delta FAs only began seeing the reinstatement of some of their cuts after their campaign to join AFA started to build real momentum in 2007. Delta management knows very well that offering the return of certain benefits will send a message to Delta FAs that they will be “taken care of”. But, what happens when the threat of organizing a union disappears? Please keep in mind that a comparison chart entitled “Delta & NWA Flight Attendant Comparison” is circulating which was actually compiled by Delta management and their anti-union advisors. Please take time to examine the union-created comparisons as well, since the methods of analysis and cited comparisons can be extremely misleading.
B. Who appointed the NW Merger Representatives? Why did NWA FAs have no say in who was appointed? Delta is paying for 14 Merger Representatives for DL FAs, why do we NW FAs have just 2?
NWA FAs very definitely did have a say, since we voted for our base LEC officers at each base. NWA Merger Representatives (2) were appointed by the Master Executive Council (MEC), which is comprised of the nine elected LEC Presidents from each of the nine NWA bases. Appointments for the positions were made, following hotline and website postings that called for applicants. Selections were made from this applicant pool, with an added emphasis on specific career experience that flight attendant may have in the area of airline mergers. Like other appointments to specialized positions (such as the grievance/arbitration committee, aka the ‘System Board’), it is unlikely that putting an issue out to a vote of the members is the best process for selecting the best candidate. Consider the process that the United States Senate uses for appointment to important governmental committees (such as the Arms Services Committee, the Commerce Committee or the House Aviation Sub-Committee) and hopefully you can draw some correlation to the process we must often use in our own union. However, while it might not be a good idea to allow all citizens of the United States to vote on internal government committees, this should not stop us (as citizens) from expressing our views to our congressional representatives when it comes time for them to vote on such candidates. The same standard should be applied to our AFA union; FAs should feel free to express their views on candidates to their LEC President (at their domicile) who carries a vote on such appointments.
The AFA Constitution and Bylaws provide for Date-of-Hire seniority integration. Absent union representation, a “fair and equitable” labor integration arbitration is now provided by law. Date-of-Hire integration is fairly cut and dried, especially following the regular contractual seniority list challenge process, and does not require more than 2 Merger Representatives. Delta is only planning for the “fair and equitable” integration outcome, because Date-of-Hire seniority integration is a foregone conclusion if the combined group is represented by AFA. DAL’s Joanne Smith and NWA’s Julie Showers, speaking at the MSP Meet and Greet on August 27th, publicly committed to providing identical resources (e.g. representatives from each base, advisors, attorneys) to the NWA flight attendants “at the appropriate time.” Your MEC is strategizing for both possible outcomes regarding seniority integration in this merger, and the 9 elected Presidents and your 3 appointed MEC officers will continue to work with AFA Legal and our Merger Representatives over the course of the merger process.
C. Why can’t AFA respond to the information put out on various independent websites run by NWA FAs? The sites leave us feeling as if AFA is ineffective, and we should get rid of AFA now.
While it is not possible to keep up with all the information distributed on independent websites these days, there are many AFA leaders and activists who do choose to respond to these websites. You simply need to search out the forums where these debates and discussions take place. A few prominent forums where these discussions take place include; http://www.flightattendants.org, http://www.AverageJoeInc.com and http://www.usaviation.com. The decision as to whether to use official union communications (such as our email system, US mail or official website [ http://www.nwaafa.org ] to respond to the content of independent websites is a decision that must be made by the MEC. If you have strong feelings about the matter, you should feel comfortable expressing that viewpoint to your LEC President (who is a voting member of the MEC).
D. AFA has accomplished zilch for NW FAs, while ALPA has negotiated improvements for the pilots. Why can’t AFA do that for us?
First and foremost, it is important for us to recognize that ALPA has ‘situational’ leverage in this merger due to the fact that both the NWA and DAL pilots are represented by the same union. In other words, the combined management of both carriers knows that they must negotiate with the combined pilot group because there IS going to be a union for pilots. As unionized FAs at NWA, we must be honest with ourselves and ask this question; would management be so accommodating to the NWA pilots if there was no existing union for pilots on the Delta property? The answer is “probably not”.
Another way to ask that question might be; If Delta’s new management thought they could destroy the NWA pilots union in an election (again, if there was no pilot union at Delta) would they be willing to work on ANY improvements? An honest response to that question would have to be a resounding “NO”. Richard Anderson has proven to be a cunning strategist when it comes to busting labor unions and we should not fool ourselves into thinking that they are not anticipating doing to us what they accomplished with the AMFA represented mechanics. The harsh reality of the situation for us as NWA FAs is that we simply do not have anywhere near the leverage that the pilots have UNTIL or UNLESS we can win a combined election with the Delta FAs to form a union together. Then (and only then) can we anticipate the full recognition and bargaining power we need to move management to negotiate substantive changes in our working conditions, pay and benefits.
E. I am a 21 yr NWA FA and I have never had an issue with NWA that the Union had to help me with, so why do I need AFA? Why do I need a union? Maybe Delta FAs know something we don’t!
There are three (3) main reasons we believe we need AFA. They are;
1. Job Protection that Prevents Outsourcing of International Flying
A few years ago, Northwest executives (those close to Delta CEO Richard Anderson when he was at Northwest) attempted to outsource 75% of international flights to low-cost foreign workers. NWA started hiring these flight attendants in China, India and other locations, flew them to MSP and put them through Initial Training. Had the executives gotten away with this scheme, 35-40% of NWA flight attendant jobs would have been lost overall, including most of our best flying (international). The NWA FA’s union contract, and the efforts of our Government Affairs Committee with support from our International Gov’t Affairs Office in Wash., DC, ultimately prevented this and those protections remained intact through the bankruptcy. With no contract and no AFA representation, there is nothing to stop these executives from eliminating all of our international flying jobs and shipping them to low-cost foreign workers. By joining AFA, we can make sure this does not happen at Delta and we can protect the 1,000’s of flight attendants on our combined seniority list from being furloughed.
2. Seniority Protection and a Merger ‘Fence Agreement’
By joining AFA, we will immediately lock in ‘date-of-hire’ seniority protection pursuant to the AFA merger policy for all flight attendants. NWA executives are placing our seniority at risk by promoting a ‘fair & equitable’ arbitration whereby a third-party would decide what happens to seniority. Delta FAs have been told that for all FAs hired prior to 1972, the “fair and equitable” ratio would be 4 DL FAs on the list to every 1 NW FA. This is simply unacceptable. In the Hughes/Republic merger, flight attendants were unable to agree upon a “fair and equitable” seniority integration process and that ultimately forced the process into the hands of Arbitrator Arthur Stark. Northwest flight attendants have been through some of the most bitter and divisive mergers in history. We have the power to make sure this won’t happen again. The NWA contract, which will stay in place while we work together to negotiate a new contract for the combined group if we win this election, contains a requirement that both flight attendant groups be kept separate until a combined contract is negotiated. We call this a fence agreement and as long as both groups join AFA, our executives must honor this provision in the NWA contract. A fence agreement will protect our base seniority as well as our current flying. However, if our executives are not required to honor the NWA contract, there will be no requirement to keep us separate.
3. Securing our Profession for the Long Term
When our two airlines merge, together we will be the largest flight attendant group in the country and what we achieve together will set trends for the rest of the industry. Without the legal recognition that membership in AFA gives us, we would be the most vulnerable flight attendant group in the country. At Northwest, FAs have a long and proud tradition of union representation, contract negotiations and working with airline executives on the issues that matter to flight attendants. Working together with hundreds of Delta activists who have worked so hard on their AFA campaign, we can carry on that tradition. Let’s work together to be the strongest flight attendant group in the world with the best legally binding contract in the industry. At a time when our industry is still struggling and with the threats of outsourcing, open skies and consolidation, let’s join together in AFA to safeguard and protect the profession we love.
F. Doesn’t AFA just want NWA FAs so that we can help them get Delta into the union? Did Delta FAs ask AFA to come and organize them?
Based on the 40% turnout in the Delta-AFA election a few months ago, it should be obvious that there are a sizable number of Delta FAs that want a union and a contract. In fact, the campaign to join AFA was not run by “AFA” staff, it was run by individual Delta FAs. The next election we face is not about what “AFA” wants - but rather it is about what we (the NWA and Delta FAs) believe is in our best interests. It will not be about AFA; so much as it will be even more basic than that – contract or no contract. Organizing campaigns are never successful if they are run by ‘outsiders’ - they only succeed when individual workers recognize that it is their own best interests that are at stake, not the institution or organization that they are seeking to join. That is the kind of campaign we must wage (as NWA and Delta FAs) if we are to preserve and advance our FA jobs.
G. Why doesn’t AFA have any power to stop NW Management from dragging their feet on grievances? It seems AFA is powerless.
Much like the ‘situational leverage’ issue discussed above, it is true that NWA management has little-to-no current incentive (nor pressure) to resolve our grievances. In fact, some would go so far as to say that they are patiently ‘riding out the clock’ on the number of days we even have a grievance machine or a contract that gives us the right to file grievances. While AFA could file a bad faith lawsuit against the Company, the reality of the situation for us is that even if we were to file such a suit, our combined election would most likely be over prior to a final resolution of such litigation - and if we are not successful in our election, the suit would be dismissed on the basis that there is no more union, no more NWA AFA contract and no more grievance process. It is imperative that we place our energy and our commitment to having a legal voice at work into the next election—since everything is tied to it.
H. It seems like AFA appoints whoever they want to committees. It looks like Danny and Mollie were appointed because they are “favorites”, and that others who asked to be involved, like Jose, never even got a response from AFA to their offers of help.
While some NWA FAs may like or dislike some of our former leaders (like Danny Campbell, Mollie Reiley or Jose Ibarra), the fact is that all of these NWA FAs have proven to be exceptional organizers over the years. Mollie Reiley has run many successful campaigns on the NWA property—including the 1992 IBT-AFA election and the most recent NWA-AFA organizing campaign. Danny Campbell is widely known in the labor movement (even outside of flight attendant unions) as a superb organizer and has coordinated many successful campaigns (like our Contract Action Team (CAT) and our NWA-AFA organizing campaign). Likewise, Jose Ibarra also has a strong resume for member mobilization, including our campaign to join PFAA in 2003, as well as his hard work with the Contract Action Team during our 1998 - 2000 negotiations. Both Campbell and Reiley have attempted to partner with Jose over the past few years, but he has (so far) declined to work with them. Likewise, he was recently asked to be a member of the current Delta-NWA Campaign Coordination Committee, and declined to accept that role as well. All union leaders, past and present, are welcome to join our fight to retain over 60 years of collective bargaining for Northwest flight attendants.
I. I could save $43 per month in dues if I didn’t have a union. What does AFA do for me anyway?
Many contractual provisions in our contract are worth $43 per month, all by themselves:
1. Delta FAs cannot roll over more than 84 hours of sick time, from year to year. Many NW flight attendants have accrued up to 1,200 hours of sick time. That is worth a lot of money, not to mention the value of peace of mind it is worth in case of long term illness or pregnancy.
2. Our medical insurance premiums are capped at no more than a 7% increase per year, while who/what is covered in the policy is defined contractually. That can add up to a LOT of money out of our pockets per month, if not controlled by a legally binding contract. Pre-age 65, non-union Delta Retirees now pay $539 per month for health coverage. This was not what they were promised.
3. Imagine being selected for a month of jury duty at Delta, and getting paid a maximum of 15 days of jury pay, at 2:45 per day. At NWA we receive full pay, for all jury duty service.
4. What is the value of exercising your contractual legalities at 14 hours on duty? At Delta, pilots can walk for legality due their contract, but their FAs can be required to stay on duty to FAA maximums (16 hours +).
If the value of our union is to be quantified in dollars, even these 4 items offset our dues rate. The value of an equal seat at the table in collective bargaining and of a legally binding contract? Priceless.
J. I received an email on Labor Day from a flight attendant that communicated that there was a meeting with Delta management last week. Why haven’t we heard about this?
The MEC push for this meeting with Delta has been ongoing and announced on many different occasions. Your MEC has contacted Delta management repeatedly, to request a meeting to discuss the merger. MEC President Kevin Griffin announced the response we received from Delta, in his message of 21AUG08. A meeting date and time was set up immediately, albeit over the weekend. On August 27, 2008 MEC President Kevin Griffin, MEC Vice President Janette Rook, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Mark Gehrt, AFA Legal’s Scott Goodman and Rob Clayman met with Ed Bastian, Michael Campbell, Michael Becker, and Julie Showers. Rob Clayman crafted the attached summation of the meeting for our members. Sensitive strategy information is not included in this summation, but your Master Executive Council (all Local Presidents) and the Joint Organizing Campaign will continue to be briefed. Details of our legal strategy cannot be made public for obvious reasons. Much of the information discussed in this meeting was covered in previous meetings with Northwest management, and was also subsequently communicated in union hotlines/emails.
We were told in this meeting that the corporate motto for this merger is “Do No Harm to the Customer.” AFA will continue our efforts to ensure that this merger will “Do No Harm to the Employee” as well.
Respectfully Submitted by,
Your NWA AFA MEC Officers
Kevin Griffin
Janette Rook
Mark Gehrt