Not long ago I attended a labor council meeting in Minnesota where someone aptly quoted Harry Truman:  "A recession is when your neighbor is out of work.  A depression is when you are out of work."  That sentiment really hits home when we look at the number of people now unemployed, facing massive furloughs or trying to make ends meet in today's world. 

On Monday, November 17, 2008 Japan's government announced that the world's second largest economy had slipped into recession.  Now leaders are uttering similar words about the U.S. economy, though many Americans believe we are in a depression worse than that of 1929.  Economists, analysts and others on the government payroll can now admit we are in a recession.

The advances our parents and grandparents made in the labor movement and this economy over the last hundred years have all but disappeared as a result of corporate terrorism and a government that was designed according to Abraham Lincoln “of the people, by the people, for the people”, but has itself been hijacked by and for corporate interests.

As present-day laborers in the world’s largest economy we have seen friends, relatives and neighbors struggling.  We have experienced undue stress through airline bankruptcies, changes in homeland security, wages, work rules and our overall lifestyle.  But we have had each other to rely on in good times and bad. 

We are a profession of caretakers, safety professionals and – above all – unionists.  What is best for the least of us is ultimately better for all.  We lift up our brothers and sisters because we must.  "Take me with you," no matter the circumstances.

We can continue that tradition, work collectively to restore much of what we have lost and protect our own interests despite current global economic news.  Only by keeping our legal voice in the workplace can we influence our own future.  By maintaining our powerful tradition of representation – in good times and "dramatic slowdowns" – we will build back protections once thought impossible to secure.

We can change the way we are viewed by corporate executives and government officials.  We are not just employee numbers who should be outsourced:  Giving our jobs to cheaper foreign labor will lead to even greater instability in this consumer-driven economy.  Without decent wages and benefits for working people in this country, we will not be able to spend what it will take to get this battered economy moving again.  

As flight attendants, we all strive for the same "homeland" securities – livable wages, safe working conditions, progressive work rules and a sound retirement.  This is true no matter what airline hired us, what part of the country we live in, or what the name is on the airplane's tail. 

We can overcome the divisions that our new family of executives has attempted to create by focusing on these common goals.

Collectively, without bitterness, we can achieve great strides for our profession while maintaining a voice for our future.  As one great flight attendant group of over 21,000 strong, one great combined contract is our ultimate objective:  the best of both worlds, where we can pay the mortgage, have affordable health insurance, work in a safe environment with livable work rules and be able to retire, secure and proud that we fought for and won flight attendant representation for the world's largest airline.

For any of us to share in that one great American dream, all of us must sacrifice.  We cannot continue to ask what our union is doing for us; even asking that is to admit being misinformed about the core strength of our organization. 

Our union is only as strong as its weakest member.  Over a decade ago we started using the Internet for information and uniting ourselves.  Today that is not enough.  We must daily approach and reassure those who have doubts and feel disenfranchised.  We cannot be divided by corporate inventions, by assumed cultural differences that do not truly exist.  Flight attendants want what is best for each other, for our families, for our futures.  We will not be distracted by "meet and greets," multimedia images or new red dresses.  Our focus must continue to be on building a contract that will turn the tide for our entire profession.  A contract for the future that our corporate executives insist upon for their futures is a Must!

Apathy has no place in our union.  The same activism that surged during the November elections must continue to drive our work group, our elected government and the American economy.  We have a responsibility now as the largest group of flight attendants on this planet to guide a movement that will bring back honor and justice to our chosen careers.

Join me, our elected union leaders, our brothers and sisters at Delta and Northwest and our growing family of supporters in maintaining our focus on our future.  Become involved in delivering our collective message of strength and security in an uncertain economy through union representation.  Visit deltaafa.org today to pledge your support to rebuild our profession.

In Unity and for a Better Future,