An Open Letter to ALPA Representatives and Officers on the matter of the Delta Air Line Pilots Working Agreement


July 18, 2015

Gentlemen and Ladies of the Delta Air Lines Master Executive Council and Air Line Pilots Association,

As a twenty-five year Association member and Delta Air Lines pilot, I wish to share some thoughts and inputs regarding our contract situation. A constituent of Atlanta Local Council 44, I think that in the same fashion policy choices and actions on the part of any and all Congressional members affect me, similar potential personal impact of many far-removed ALPA officeholders legitimizes my reaching out to all of you.

With roughly 65% of my colleagues, I voted against acceptance of the Tentative Agreement. My assessment was and continues to be that greater compensation and benefits value for us pilots are warranted and that certain proposed changes in the recent TA are unnecessarily concessionary and/or otherwise flawed. I further (and essentially) perceive market conditions accommodate labor-side improvements to the TA that are actually net beneficial and desirable to Delta Air Lines.

As you approach the July 21 Special MEC Meeting, assessing our rank-and-file contract rejection and formulating plans for moving forward with further negotiations, I share with you the thoughtful opinion of a great percentage of my line peers that there are as many - perhaps more - strong (and perhaps even stronger) reasons to take prompt and substantial action within the union as there are to engage outside of it with the Company. As such, specifically and sequentially, I consider it necessary that the MEC act immediately to replace Chairman Donatelli with an Interim Appointee and formally declare a temporary moratorium on negotiation with the Company for a period not less than 75 days. I assert that all Petitions of Recall ought be immediately assessed and barring legitimate question, promptly accepted. I recommend that all elected representatives so challenged and who believe they've truly done their best in their incumbent service, rightfully run against those recalls rather than delay, subvert or attempt in any fashion to avoid them. Following such Recall/Special Elections, the reconstituted Master Executive Council should then promptly elect a new Chair and act to restructure the Negotiating Committee, appointing new Committee members, and for continuity, requesting the current members to assume supportive consulting roles. Only then, and only after an effective re-canvassing of the pilot group vis-a-vis the Working Agreement, ought the Association re-engage Delta Air Lines towards reaching a contract settlement.

We must anticipate that in crafting their own follow-on bargaining position (especially for the second-ballot scenario we now face), the Company will shape an offer targeting precious little above 50% membership approval. Knowing that we are in a practical regard, top-end limited by the existing, unfavorable TA, we may not ourselves reasonably hope to achieve a positive response in the traditional mid-sixty percent range. However, it is absolutely imperative that we not negotiate again to a low bar. Beyond constituting a heinous failure to represent the best interests of the Delta pilots, an unnecessarily weak second Tentative Agreement, even if member-ratified, will foretell the expulsion of ALPA from our property and likely initiate a downward labor-management spiral grossly adverse to the interests of all Delta employees, investors, customers and the public, not to mention our trade in particular and organized labor in general. Until witnessing the unfathomable conduct and hearing and reading the unhelpful comments of Chairman Donatelli over the last week, I would have hoped we could promptly move in a good direction without the internal first steps I've outlined. But I strongly insist that we cannot. Should these prudent measures be timely taken, we could certainly and satisfactorily complete the process at or very near the amenable date. Failure to do so will I am certain, be absolutely seen as willful denial of the prevailing desires of the membership and likely result in both an inferior eventual PWA and very possibly the demise of the Association's presence at Delta, if not elsewhere as well.

Understanding still, that these recommendations may not meet the MEC's preference and that renegotiation may be quickly pursued (if not tacitly already underway), I wish also to share here my general suggestions for upgrading the Tentative Agreement. These do not strictly represent my personal desires, but rather are a composite of items collected from the larger pilot group. Having come through the initial cooperative process with the Company of creating the TA, I believe we are practically constrained to use it as our joint framework going forward. I consider the following package of targets and alterations, specifically taken en toto, justified and achievable.

Active date: January 1, 2016
Amenable date: January 1, 2019

I. Compensation:
1. Flight pay hourly rate increases -
2016 16.5%
2017 6.0% (effective 23.5%)
2018 4.0% (effective 28.4%)
2. 20% Profit share threshold changes -
2016 none
2017 $4.5B
2018 $6.5B
3. E190 rates gap below B717 hourly pay shall not be greater in
dollar amount than that between the B717 and the MD88/90

II. Sick Leave Verification Program
1. Removal of active AME, substituted with retired/inactive
AME or other suitable Aviation Medical professional
unbound from FAA reporting relationship or requirement
and chosen by committee including both ALPA and
Company representatives.
2. Verification trigger
a. on 20th unverified sick day
b. sick days may be voluntary verified prior to the 20th day
3. Look-back period shall be one calendar year based on
individuals' Pay Anniversary Date
4. Sick bank restoration shall occur on individuals' Pay Anniversary
Date

III. Scope
1. Livery control shall rest in the control of the MEC body
only (not the Chairman); decisions thereon determined
by majority vote
2. Joint Venture & Codeshare agreements shall be subject
to membership ratification

IV. Scheduling
1. RCC
a. Language and controls shall be made clear and firm,
including mechanism for line input and assurance of
line pilots' satisfaction
b. RCC shall not be in any way a trial or subject to quid pro quo
2. Reserves Required reformulation
Language and controls shall be made clear and firm,
including mechanism for line input and assurance of
line pilots' satisfaction

V. First Officer LCA/IOE trip removals
1. No Training trip removal from F/O bid
2. Pickups on top of pay-protected trip buys shall be awarded only
after all existing normal whiteslip requests are exhausted
3. Pickups on top of pay-protected trip buys shall be paid at
whiteslip rates only

Please accept my sincere thanks for your time and consideration of this message and for all your work in support of our Delta pilot group, our profession, company and our industry. If I might be of any assistance or can offer any explanation or expansion regarding that which I've shared here, please do contact me.

With deepest respect and kind regards,

Jeff Anderson
Captain
Delta Air Lines
member Air Line Pilots Association

 

Nope Jeff. Stop giving...I gave (it was actually taken from me) at the office.

 

Pay is on the low side but might be OK if we can get some other improvements (ie easier to drop/swap legs/trips) for quality of life.

Sick leave need to stay as is or improve. If I'm reading this properly we are still opening ourselves up to more harassment. Would this above also require turning over medical records after 20 sick days?

Not sure about changing the profit sharing threshold. Also, how would one go about ensuring this:

a. Language and controls shall be made clear and firm,
including mechanism for line input and assurance of
line pilots' satisfaction

 

No concessions allowed during record profits

 

Waaayyyy too concessionary

 

I could get behind something like this.

There will never be a situation of no concessions.... ever...ever ever ever.

 

First time post. Been reading this for a long time... like way too long. Fairly new, voted no. Not because I did any crazy mathematics, but it just seemed too one sided. This, however, I would say yes to as never in the history of aviation contracts (to my knowledge) has there been a contract that was only give and no take.

 

The damage done by the MEC rush job for POS15 is irreparable. Just think about that for a long time. Pilots are now conditioned as you can see in the letter and management knows any increase will again be sold by the MEC. We are in a tight spot now thanks to the MEC. Which, is why they all have to go. All of them. All of them. Then we need time. They have done more damage than imaginable.

The LAST thing we need is another quick TA-2.

 

Guys, when have you ever heard the company publicly say "we'll give something up."

Never. It's terrible negotiating. The company guys are pros. We are not. Of course they know they'll have to give up something. But they want us to fight tooth and nail for every last gain. And we should do the same.

Let's stop publicly telegraphing that we'll bend over for x, y, or z. Let them fight for it. Our public stance should be "we're not giving up jack **** in this environment."

 

Pay the FOs like now, lose the PBS option to buddy bid with LCAs

No automatic required verification untill ST disability and/or give us an option to verify minor illnesses over the phone