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ADVERTISING PERCEPTION vs. REALITY AT DELTA AIR LINES
By CVG Delta F/A - Celeste Snyder

Our executives claim that Delta work rules and benefits are better than what NWA flight attendants have negotiated. Are they really? 

LET'S TALK ABOUT REAL ISSUES.
 

DELTA HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS: 

• DAL insurance premiums may not have risen in 4 years, but deductibles and out-of-pocket costs have skyrocketed thanks to the new HSA/HRA plans administered by United Health care.  Delta may offer 4 choices for health care, but most employees can't afford to be sick under our new plan.

• DAL's plans are a new type of insurance that carries a substantial risk for the average employee because of high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. Statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation say that less than 10% of corporations (with 200+ employees) have moved to this type of consumer-driven plan. While DAL sells these new plans as superior, the company pays much less and it costs employees more. In effect, we are just an experiment in cost containment.
  

• By comparison,   NWA flight attendants have a "traditional" health care plan administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield. (remember those?) Premium increases are capped at 7% per year (2009 premium remains the same as 2008) with much lower deductibles, out-of-pocket costs, and a larger network of doctors/health facilities to choose from.  Ask your Doctor how he likes United Health care.

We can negotiate better options and lower costs to important benefits. . .  REAL BENEFITS! 
 

OUTSOURCING: 
 

• Gate agents in LGW are losing their jobs due to outsourcing and it will soon hit some at LHR.  They are being replaced with contract company workers (remember when Indian flight attendants were hired to fly some DAL routes).  Outsourcing CAN happen to us. . .   
   
  
• Consider the current economic conditions in our country. Do you think YOUR job is safe? Thousands of U.S. workers are being laid off every month. DAL will have to cut costs somewhere. Is that somewhere going to be you, or just someone junior to you?

Our passengers want US guarding their safety.

 
DELTA A-DAYS: 
 

• DAL crew schedulers consistently tell flight attendants that they can "do whatever they want" with them on A-DAYS.  Ask a DAL flight attendant how many times they've had their times adjusted? How many times have you been rerouted through a base when there are several A-Day flight attendants available and just sitting? The A-DAY program is not as "friendly" as some would lead NWA flight attendants to believe. Remember when we had 9 days?  
   
  
• Representation will enable us to negotiate and make improvements to a system that supports our combined work group AND the operation. Parameters will be clearly defined for us and for our crew schedulers. Schedulers will be required to follow those contractual requirements.

• If there is a dispute and you are "forced" to do something that violates the contract, you file a grievance with a rep that works for you. Don't forget that there is a monetary compensation award for violations of your contract. In January '08 our own Delta pilots received a grievance settlement for 15 million dollars for contractual violations of their scheduling rules. 
     
   

DELTA CBS  vs. NWA PBS: 
 

• The difference is really just points vs. seniority.  With ours, you get to bid with points and hope for the best. With the other, you bid with your seniority first and then add some points. Ours is an older program with fewer options than the new program that NW has - designed by the same company. We have fewer options because we don't have contractual requirements that guide our flying. Have you ever tried to have your bids corrected (ie. bid resolution) because someone junior held what you bid?  It doesn't exist. Surely you must have bid wrong, even though you are SENIOR.
   
  
• DAL continually refuses to improve our system citing budget costs or lack of technology. Clearly this technology is available, just not to us.
   

Representation enables us to negotiate the guidelines and flying options of the bid program that controls our life - on and off the aircraft.
 

DELTA 4:45 AVERAGE vs. NWA 4:15 MINIMUM:

• Get paid for actually being at work/on the job for everyday you are there, not just the legs you serve drinks on. You're either at work or you're not. 
   
  
• DAL flight attendants must work more days to be paid the same number of hours as a NWA flight attendant. (Hint- this is a pay cut) Who really wants to work more hours or spend more days away from home?  This work rule difference equals thousands of dollars less per year in earned income on the DAL side. 
   
  
• We can negotiate to change this - another example of the advantage to representation.
   

DAL POLICY MANUAL vs. A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT:

• Contrary to what some may hear out on the line - if we choose representation - we will not be forced to work under the DAL policy manual OR the NWA agreement once both groups have been integrated...
  
  
• A new joint contract will be negotiated. One that combines the best of what each group has.

Why is Delta working so relentlessly to ensure we don't have a contract?  Because it's valuable!

 REAL-LIFE ISSUES, REAL SOLUTIONS
 PROTECT YOUR YOURSELF WITH REPRESENTATION AND A CONTRACT!