****reposted article /E-mail*****

Sure most of you have been sent this by someone or already read it.
Interesting.



First I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming response to this effort. It has taken me some time to read through all of your emails. I also want to thank Council 44 First Officer Rep David Nestor. He is the only rep that wrote back anything of any substance. He was actually the only one who responded with more than one sentence.

I have had great discussions about our situation with my fellow pilots and one overwhelming question keeps coming up:

WHY ARE WE BEING ASKED TO COMPROMISE ON ANYTHING?

MY RESPONSE IS: WE HAVE TO GIVE UP NOTHING!

WE HAVE ALREADY GIVEN EVERYTHING NEEDED TO MAKE THIS COMPANY SURVIVE AND THRIVE!

Management came to us as the pilot group and said: (If you don’t give up pay and work rules, this company will not survive). Well, we gave, and the company is now on top. It is on top because of the loan that we gave the company. Now, my fellow pilots have made me well aware that management didn’t take any pay cuts, they didn’t sacrifice medical benefits, and they didn’t lose their retirement.
So the time has now come for the company to get us back to where we should be.

BUT LET ME BE CLEAR…FULL RESTORATION TO TODAYS DOLLARS IS NOT TOO MUCH TO DEMAND, AND GET!

Let us take a quick review of the things that the company and our own union have used to get us to make concessions.

1. The events of 9-11- Prior to the events of 9-11, the company had stated that they wanted to get the pilot group down to about 80% of the total pilots. While there was a temporary slowdown in passenger traffic after the terror attacks, people came back out and started flying. Southwest Airlines did not furlough any of their pilots, and they remain an industry leader today. Delta used 9-11 as a Force Majeure to disregard our contract and furlough pilots to get to their already stated goal.

Don’t talk to us about furlough protections because they don’t exist. Each time that some event happens in the world, the company will call a Force Majeure. Telling us that you, as our union could take no action because it was against the law made the furlough protection, null and void. Why bother negotiating away money for something in the contract that you are not going to enforce.

We have a missing Boeing 777 somewhere in the world and one that was shot down by terrorists over airspace that we used to fly in. People are used to terrorism now; it has become a fact of life for all of us. That is why the airplanes are full despite all that is going on in the world.

So my union and my fellow pilots let us not fear that there will be something to scare us into demanding less than we deserve. There will always be something in the future to worry about!
The recent events have proven that the people of the world have learned to accept the fact that there is terrorism and they go about living their lives.

Let us have no fear of this Black Swan!

2. Bankruptcy- Yes, as we look back at the bankruptcy, remember that we were convinced to give significant concessions to keep us out of bankruptcy. Most of us knew full well that the company was going to take that and more, and still file for bankruptcy. And they did! For the pilots back then, there was a valid fear. The powers that be had not put together their mega mergers. We as a Delta pilot group didn’t know how it was going to turn out, and none of us wanted to start over at another airline.

Keep in mind that Lee Moak was at the helm during this entire time….just say’ in.

Richard Anderson has put this airline, using our money and talent, in a better position than any airline in the history of aviation. I greatly admire Mr. Anderson, I think that he is the first CEO to not use us as an ATM. I thank him for that, and I thank him for using our loan wisely. Now that he has built such an empire, our restoration to C2K plus cost of living will not kill the golden goose! We now know that it won’t even ruffle the goose’s feathers!

My fellow pilots and my representatives, we know from the latest quarterly earnings and the 2.5 Billion in stock repurchase that Delta has recently approved, that the Money is there!

Do not be afraid to ask for money that you and I deserve! If we don’t get back want we are owed, let us vote NO!

3. Oil-When the price of oil spikes the company comes straight to the pilots to dig money out of our pockets and take food right off our tables.

Let me ask you this. Why on the Delta Net do they show the price of oil only for Brent crude?

WTI crude as of this writing is $93.07 a barrel and Brent is 97.70 a barrel. The United States now produces enough oil to eliminate imported oil. We ship domestic oil to our Trainer refinery by rail, so we don’t pay Brent prices!

We pay less than any other airline for fuel because the company used our sacrifice to buy an oil refinery and this puts us in a position to weather any down turn!

(Delta's jet fuel gamble is starting to pay off)

Do not be afraid of oil prices. The greed of the oil companies makes them want to sell us lots of oil. Now they can get all the oil they need, in the U.S., so we don’t have to rely on the unstable Middle East.

Do not be afraid to demand what we deserve!

4. Middle Eastern carriers and NAI-Now you are asking the line pilots who are struggling to put our kids through college, hold on to our homes, and try to put enough money away for retirement, to give to the ALPA Pac. Again, we gave up our money to get this airline where it is today. Delta is a global company and it should be leading the fight against someone trying to steal its business. We are good at what we do. We fly airplanes around the world with a departure every 25 seconds, 24, 7,365.

Do not be afraid of these carriers. Only a certain percentage of the flying public is willing to fly on the Middle East carriers, and Delta does not want to lose their business to NAI. Let us stick with flying airplanes and let the multi-billion dollar company’s deal with competition.

5. Yes, Mr., Moak, there is a Pilot Shortage – In the recent flight operations weekly update, Steve Dickson talks about New Domestic Mainline airports. The reason that we are flying to these airports is because are feeder carriers are not getting enough pilots to fly their contracts. Lee Moak says that it is low pay in the regionals. Working my way up to the Mainline carriers, I knew that the regionals paid low, back then the reward for all that sacrifice was the job at Delta.

II It is not the pay in the regionals keeping pilots out, it is the pay cuts and lack of pension at the Mainline Carriers! There is no longer a carrot at the end of the stick!

It is true that there are many pilots out there that are qualified to fly airplanes. It is very true that many of them are going overseas for more money. Worldwide all airlines are going to need thousands of pilots. Those new pilots are not entering the field. Ask any regional pilot that you encounter, “Are your new hire classes being filled?” The answer that I hear every time is NO!

We here at Delta Air Lines do not make enough money. There are lots of pilots out there, but there are not a lot of pilots that can fly airplanes around the world, 24 hours a day, over the Atlantic in the middle of the night, juggle being gone from home half our lives, and do it all while engaging our customers like we do. With a big fake smile!

My fellow pilots do not be afraid! You are a very unique and cannot be replaced! There are a lot of pilots with certificates, but not a lot that can do our jobs!

Vote No unless it is restoration! Have no fear!

6. Geared engine RJs- We all knew that the 50 seat RJs were on their way out. Please do not waste our time on things that we know are not going to happen. Please do not recommend that we vote yes or no! Just give us the facts and let us vote.

7. Fed Ex- Fed Ex management has been dragging out the negotiation process but keep one thing in mind: Boxes don’t care if their pilots are in dispute with the company. Our high value customers will!

In last week’s Flight Ops briefing Steve Dickson talks about customer engagement. We as pilots are feeling very undervalued, underappreciated, and underpaid! As Richard likes to point out, (a Delta pilot’s engagement with our customers is the epitome of the Delta brand. This level of engagement is what has gotten us to the top of the industry.) (Richard Anderson).

This level of engagement has brought Delta Air Lines to the top of the industry, but our pay is still less than we made 10 years ago. We know that Delta can afford to pay us. We know that it is small change compared to where we have taken the company.

The company wants to get the contract settled fast so that there is not disruption in service. They are pressured from passengers, stock holders, venders, and thousands of other people. All of these other stake holders know that Delta can afford to pay us and the pressure will be on Delta, not the pilot group.

No one gets industry awards for pilots that are angry because they have been presented an insulting offer! If the first offer is not what we deserve, don't be afraid to vote no! The company will come back to the table very quickly! We fly people, not boxes, and our passengers want happy pilots!

My fellow pilots,

Our union has asked us to get involved. They have asked to give them our opinions and let them know what we want. I know what I want and I know what we have worked very hard for!

At least a minimum 25% pay increase on the day of signing. With pay increasing to C2K, plus cost of living increases within 3 years.

To make up for pension termination, at least 20% retirement contributions with increases to follow.

No compromise of any work rules, no reduction in profit sharing, and sure as hell no stand up overnights!

My fellow pilots, if you agree with any of this, write your reps and let them know. Tell them what you want, or just tell them that you agree with me. Forward this to everyone that you know! Our ALPA reps want us involved! They want to know!

The Delta pilot group is the most talented group of Men and Women that I have ever met. They have braved combat in time of war, they have flown military aircraft all over the world, and they have lived through flying for the commuters, eating boiled noodles, while living in a crash pad with 15 pilots in a 2 bedroom apartment. I cannot believe that the brave Men and Women around me will run scared!

I believe that the Delta pilots are tired of eating the scraps from the table and they are ready to vote no unless we are restored.

DO NOT BE AFRAID!


Sincerely,

Jimmy Johnson
7ER ATL