20 April 2015

Representatives and Officers of the Delta Airline Pilots Association,

My fellow pilots and I are aware that there is to be a special MEC meeting tomorrow the 21st of April. There is something that we would like all of you to consider at that meeting. I have worked very hard to get the pilots of Delta Air Lines to engage with their representation. Unfortunately, a very large number of pilots don’t want to talk to you. They only want to see results.

I am a true volunteer in the fact that I don’t get paid for this. Even the P2P volunteers get paid for attending training sessions. Me, I just want what is best for our pilots, our association, and the flying public. The pilots that I talk to tell me that this negotiation is very different from contract 2012. Our pilots have educated themselves. They have looked at the SEC filings of the company. They have read the reports from Wall Street. They know that restoring our pay and benefits to levels equal to what we had before 9-11, is mere crumbs compared to the money that our hard work and sacrifice continues to produce for Delta Air Lines.

The pilots that you collectively represent know that our company is doing the same thing that most companies are doing in this high cash flow environment. They are taking the wealth that we produce and buying back stock and paying down debt. They are not doing this out of the kindness of their hearts; they are doing this to protect the company from future economic down turn and hostile take-over. I thank Richard Anderson for the work that he has done to stabilize our jobs into the unlimited future; however, this stabilizing of the company has brought upper management tremendous wealth while we are still working for wages that give us less buying power, working more hours than we did 14 years ago.

Ladies and Gentlemen the very reason that we organize, the very reason that we unionize, the very reason that we are part of the Airline Pilots Association is to keep large corporations from taking advantage of our life’s work and dedication to this profession.

Now you, our representatives are in control of a very precious commodity, your members. This contract is not being negotiated solely for the Delta pilots; it is being negotiated for the airline pilot profession itself. All pilot groups represented by the Airline Pilots Association are looking to you to determine whether being a part of this association is a valid way to secure the future for themselves and their families. The young men and women that are considering airline pilot as a career are watching these negotiations. Airline pilot groups around the world, even the ones not represented by ALPA, are looking to see if you can restore this profession.

Ladies and Gentlemen I end my writing by saying with Great Determination because I want you, my Representation to succeed, for the Delta pilots, for the pilots of ALPA, and for the airline pilot profession as a whole. But if you fail to realize that we are the golden goose, if you fail to make the company realize that we are the golden goose, the majority of the pilots that I talk to say they will seek other representation.

The outcome of these negotiations will determine whether this profession can be restored or whether it is destine for sub-standard wages forever. There will never been another time like this in history. We, the Delta Airline Pilots stand behind you and wish you great success, as we wait for this next TA. I want to personally thank each one of you for your hard work and dedication to the Delta pilots.

Fraternally and With Great Determination,

Jimmy Johnson
7ER ATL