12 FEBRUARY 2009

SENIORITY LIST MEANINGLESS WITHOUT A CONTRACT

We recently received the recommendation put out by the Delta seniority integration committee.  While the information seems stirring, any talks of merging our respective lists are premature.  Delta executives are trying to call the game in the first quarter and that’s just not right.  Instead, we need to focus on the “end game” of having a union vote and a contract.   

Do not be lulled into a false sense of security as Delta executives continue to try to confuse and divide us and take away our right to an industry leading agreement for all flight attendants at the world’s largest carrier. Remember that the recommendation published this week by the Delta management sponsored committee and the Delta seniority list can be changed at any time without a contract.

A seniority list, in and of itself, is meaningless absent the protections of our agreement.  The word “seniority” is written in our contract more than 350 times and involves many crucial provisions and sections of our collective bargaining agreement.  While seniority is certainly the bedrock of our contract, it is just one of the many important issues that concern us – from our pay and benefits, to the scope of our work, and protections against outsourcing our jobs.

Though the Delta committee seems to agree with our longstanding AFA policy of “date-of-hire”, any talks of agreeing on a merged seniority list are simply not timely.  Several steps need to occur prior to
merging our seniority lists including:

  - A vote for AFA representation in which all flight attendants will have the opportunity to vote
  - Surveying all flight attendants to determine our preferred priorities for negotiations
  - Negotiate an industry leading contract at the world's largest carrier
  - All flight attendants will then have the opportunity vote on a negotiated agreement with Delta Air Lines.

Our timeline should flow like the pilots, and we deserve as much.  Together at Northwest and Delta they first negotiated and voted on a contract, and then merged their seniority lists.

Crewmembers at Northwest and Delta will not fly together until a single operating certificate is given by the FAA.  We have a long way to go to get to that status.   A rush to integrate seniority, before voting for representation and a contract, is like leaving the Superbowl before halftime.