Unions vow to organize world's largest airline

Friday, October 31, 2008

(Workday Minnesota)

by Barb Kucera, Workday Minnesota

WASHINGTON – In the face of a Justice Department ruling clearing the way for the merger of Delta and Northwest Airlines, unions vowed to organize workers at what is now the world's largest carrier.

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice officially approved the merger between Northwest and Delta Air Lines. Airline officials said the government decision cleared the last hurdle to merger and that Northwest is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.

Delta CEO Richard Anderson said "the new Delta will be at the front of the pack in achieving the benefits of consolidation and is well positioned to navigate the tough waters ahead in a difficult economy."

The merger creates new challenges for organized labor. Nearly all 31,000 Northwest employees were represented by unions, but only the pilots at Delta are organized. Immediately after Wednesday's announcement, unions vowed to step up their organizing efforts among the combined workforce, which totals 75,000.
"The Machinists Union will fight to ensure that workers at the combined airline will be protected by the guarantees that can only be found in a union contract," said Robert Roach, Jr., general vice president for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The IAM represents reservation agents, baggage handlers and other ground workers.
"The days when Delta could ride roughshod over their employees is coming to an end. Delta is creating the world's largest airline. The Machinists Union will make it the world's largest unionized airline."

Calling the merger announcement "no surprise," AFA-CWA International President Patricia Friend said it "provides an enormous opportunity to advance the profession of over 21,000 flight attendants. With such vast opportunity also comes a great responsibility to protect the 60 years of collective bargaining rights that Northwest flight attendants have long fought to maintain."
Delta Air Lines flight attendants narrowly missed becoming AFA-CWA members earlier this year. While AFA-CWA won the vast majority of votes cast for union representation, Delta management's aggressive voter suppression campaign kept thousands from casting a vote. Due to less than 50 percent of flight attendants participating, the National Mediation Board refused to validate the election.
Last month, the NMB rescinded its proposal to make it more difficult for unionized airline workers to retain union protection when merging with unrepresented carriers.
Under the current procedures, whenever there has been a merger between an unrepresented and a represented group and the represented group has a majority, the NMB has extended the certification of the representative. The NMB wanted to adopt a rule that would have changed the simple majority needed to "more than a substantial majority as determined by the Board," but stopped after months of intense lobbying by unions and pressure from Congressional leaders.