AAerSTL

Not only is it hard, under the Railway Labor Act, you can only replace a union with another collective bargaining agent there is no protocol to decertify like under the National Labor Relations Act. Unless there is a future merger or other event to trigger a vote DL workers will be stuck with the IAM indefinitely.

Beckles

Yup, Delta runs one of the top three legacy operations in the US.

AAerSTL

RLA requires a closed shop-basically you have to join the union to keep your job.

You can however become what is called a dues objector and pay an agency fee (often 80-95% of the dues amount) which is the expenses considered "germane" to negotiating and enforcing the CBA. However by becoming a dues objector one forgoes their rights to vote on contract ratification and Union officer elections. The union must by law represent the objector at the same capacity they would a full member against any grievance with the company but of course there are negative social and professional implications with taking this path. Bottom line is union membership/payment of dues is for all intents and purposes mandatory.

HongKonger

Sort of like the republicans.

IBTL

motytrah

The argument would hold more weight if DL FAs actually made more than most Unionized FAs.

As far as the grievances you need to keep in mind these are rank and file employees. HR at most companies is not there to protect employees. It's there to carry out the will of management in a way that won't get them sued. You want to be the squeaky wheel? You better be prepared to the unemployment line.

There was a high profile firing in MSP a couple months ago when a veteran DL ground worker spoke out on wages. It irked employees enough that it created protests.

There's a reason why almost every Pilot group has representation. Imagine you were a pilot and you responded to an FAA request for comment on flight hour time outs. That's on public record and you're an at-will employee. One could be very easily fired for sharing an opinion that doesn't tow the company line.

That ground ops guy made the mistake of thinking he could speak his mind like the old days. That's a luxury only the unionized pilots at DL have.

readywhenyouare

If I were to publicly bash my employer I wouldn't expect my job to be there the next day. For me that's not a hard concept to grasp.

ElPresidente

Extortion? I suppose nearly anything one doesn't like is "legalized extortion".

Because extortion is BAD. And if I put "legalized" in front of it, it means it's still bad, but someone foolishly decided to allow it. Great game, you can apply it to just about anything.

Marriage is legalized prostitution. Therefore nobody should get married.

readywhenyouare

Yes, forcing me to pay union dues that I want no part of is a form of legalized extortion in my opinion.

ElPresidente

I dislike paying taxes, used to build weapons that kill people. Yet, I pay them.

Life is filled with compromises, well for normal people.

Are you a Delta FA?

SamuelS

Airlines are a complex animal, and due to the divergent nature of the workforce being spread over the country, and being in the air much of the time, one doesn't have the same interaction with management or your co-workers that one might in a more traditional land based environment. Unions - when they work sensibly with airline management - can actually be a force for good and positively assist a company in communicating planned changes, negotiating renewals of contracts, etc with a workforce that you can't just convene together on a conference call or townhall.

It's also an industry with constant change. Routes come and go, aircraft types get moved around, crew base requirements change. Times are good for airlines right now, but who knows what the future will bring. The old adage about the best way to become a millionaire in the airline business is to start out as a billionaire might be tongue in cheek, but one doesn't have to look too far back to see the books of airlines bleeding red.

If the FA community feels that a union will give them better representation, then they will vote accordingly.

I wish the DL FA's all the best - whatever decision the (majority) of them make.

readywhenyouare

No I am not but my feelings apply to any union. A friend of the family was a police officer and her union threw her under the bus in a heartbeat after years of paying union dues. Yes, management can shaft you but at least you aren't paying for it. It's cute that you think the union is there to protect the little guy. I encourage you to research the salaries of top union officials. They make just as much as anyone in corporate management yet no one seems to mind.

thesaints

But you are not forced to work for Delta !

readywhenyouare

You are correct, no one is forced to work at Delta. I hope you hold the same views for the pro-union employees if they lose.

MSPeconomist

The point is that with a union, the FAs would be forced to pay a fee every pay period that goes to a third party in order to continue to work for DL.

paul21

A fee for grievance procedures, possibly improved wages, and potentially better working conditions. Union fee squander is not a predetermined fate despite anecdotal evidence. It does suck that it's not optional, but representation is universal.