DAL/NWA Flight Attendant Petition to Richard Anderson
The Petition
April 16, 2008
Richard Anderson, Chief Executive Officer
Department 940 ATG
Delta Air Lines
1010 Delta Boulevard
Atlanta, Georgia 30320
Re: Delta/NWA Merger \'The Best of Both Worlds\'
Dear Mr. Anderson:
The merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines is of critical importance to the nearly 22,000 flight attendants at Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. We write to express our hope that any merger of our respective carriers be accomplished with great care and consideration of our flying partners. We seek your cooperation in order to ensure our voices are heard we want protection for our full seniority, the legal right to negotiate our own future and the opportunity to seek improvements at the bargaining table so that a contract for the combined groups will represent \'the best of both worlds.\'
The media has reported that you have made substantial accommodations for pilots through their membership in the Air Line Pilots Association (\"ALPA\"). Despite repeated requests, executives have refused to engage AFA-represented flight attendants at NWA in similar substantive discussions. Delta apparently would prefer to spend millions on a campaign to defeat the right of its own flight attendants to gain legal representation than to simply allow our two groups the same recognition you are extending to ALPA.
As you know, Delta flight attendants are about to vote on whether they want to join AFA and we ask for you to agree to a corporate policy of neutrality in their election. Simply put, we seek the same opportunity you have given to the Delta and NWA pilots.
During your tenure as the CEO at Northwest, you earned a reputation as a leader who maintained a respectful and productive relationship with the NWA flight attendants\' union. We believe that relationship can easily extend to the combined Delta/NWA flight attendant workforce. By remaining neutral in the Delta flight attendants\' organizing campaign, you will allow us to show our own commitment to good faith bargaining and a smooth integration of our two cultures, and you will demonstrate that Delta shares that same commitment.
AFA\'s NWA Master Executive Council and the Delta/AFA Organizing Committee have formed a strong communication bond over the past year and we believe Delta can only benefit from this partnership by working with us. If Delta flight attendants join AFA, the Company also will benefit from a smooth seniority integration process which is outlined in our Constitution and Bylaws.
In closing, it is our sincere desire to roll up our sleeves and build the kind of labor/management partnership that a merger of this magnitude calls for. But, that will not be successful if Delta seeks to divide or conquer the flight attendants. We believe there is great opportunity ahead and remain committed to bringing the \'best of both worlds\' to Delta and Northwest flight attendants.
