Delta MEC letter April 4
 

Subject: Chairman's Letter--Strike Ballot Results--040406
April 4, 2006

Dear Fellow Pilot,

Today, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, voting closed for the Strike Authorization
Ballot. Out of 5799 eligible voters, 5590 or 96.4% cast their vote.
Of those who voted, a resounding 5295, or 94.72% voted IN FAVOR of providing strike authorization to the Delta MEC.

Over the past several months, I have used every opportunity to express
to Delta senior executives that the Delta pilots will not work without
a contract. More recently, many of you have availed yourselves of the
opportunity to express this same sentiment through your participation
in picketing events across the nation, from coast to coast, sometimes
on very short notice, and occasionally during inclement weather. Most
recently, we successfully exercised our strike capabilities by staging
a "Practice Strike" in Atlanta that was attended by hundreds of pilots
and received extensive national media coverage. Along the way, we have
been left with no choice but to spend considerable time, talent and
money building a strike capability unrivaled by any past efforts.

As important as these efforts have been, the results of this ballot
will send the strongest message yet that if Delta's senior executives
are successful in their misguided attempt to reject our contract, we
will strike. All too often over the past months, management has attempted
to mischaracterize the defense of our contract as posturing, gamesmanship
and, most recently, saber-rattling. They are wrong. I made this point
quite clearly to Delta's CEO while testifying before the neutral panel
in Washington, D.C. At this point, one of my most grave concerns is
that Delta's most senior executives have come to believe their own press
releases, and that they may actually believe the sound bites emanating
from Frank Lorenzo's former consultants, now employed by Delta. It is
a sad footnote in Delta's history that in a business where people matter,
Delta's current senior executives have aligned themselves with the flawed
and failed tactics of Lorenzo.

As the deadline approaches for the neutral panel to make its decision,
time is rapidly running out on the 1113 process. Our goal has not changed.
We seek a consensual comprehensive agreement, but we will not be bullied
into accepting the overreaching demands currently on the table. We will
not capitulate to these demands based on a fear of what may lie ahead.
We understand the risks. If our contract is rejected, we will strike.

While there is still time to achieve an agreement, it will require that
Delta's senior executives intervene now and remove the obstacles preventing
that from happening.

Thank you for providing your MEC with your strike authorization. The
Delta MEC accepts your authorization with a solemn understanding of
the responsibility it entails. If Delta's senior executives are still
not convinced of our resolve, their next learning opportunity will become
readily apparent should they be successful in rejecting our contract.

Fraternally,

Lee Moak, Chairman
Delta MEC

God bless and speed all the Delta lads and ladies.

Hold strong and keep the faith!

Hopefully those management swine will come to their collective senses.

I am all for the Delta guys and gals getting what they deserve, but how much leverage do they have? Seems that no one will win if they strike. I hope I am wrong.

No G, someone will win. Maybe not the DL pilots, but at least they have the balls to say enough is enough......it will be YOU as a FO on a regional that will win as they will have drawn the line in the sand for you an your generation... You will subsequently reap the "high" salary that you and your generation seek flying the Boeings. If this fails you can look forward to a career of 50k till you retire.

It is not about winning and Losing.

The Delta Pilots have already lost a great deal.
This is about saving what little they have left.

MGT, however, will win if they are allowed to VOID a LEGAL contract without any consequences.......................

If DELTA MGT is successful, other airline MGT's will follow. It would not surprise me one iota if NW MGT doesn't come back to their Pilots for round #3.

For all our sakes, we should support the DAL Pilot's 100% in their efforts.

They are not going to strike. Too much to lose. Its easy to say lets strike and get mad, but in the end unemployment is just too horrible a scenario. Not to mention that since their retirement is gone they have to work. Activitism is cool, but paying the bills is better. And tell me all of you who "support" the Delta guys are you going to strike yourself?

I don't work for Delta so I really can't comment on what they will do.

I do know that they Don't want to strike, but with MGT's Draconian demands they feel they have few other options unless MGT decides to negotiate.

The ball is MGT's court. I guess we will just have to wait and see what MGT decides. I wish the Delta Pilots a successful outcome whatever it is.

There comes a point when it just ain't worth it. The DAL pilots are there. Unemployment may be a burden but most can find work elsewhere that may pay less but at a company that respects them.

It's not your or my call to make..............it the Delta Pilot's..........more correctly, it's DAL MGT's