Addressing Misinformation from IAM
IAM Claim: “… Delta has failed to invest in new ground equipment, leaving employees high and dry.” Posted on: 10/2/2024
This is false. Year to date, we have delivered 395 new motorized pieces of GSE and, by year end, we plan to deliver 445 new pieces in total, a $50 million investment in our team.
IAM Claim: “Delta non-union workers must use their own accrued PPT or vacation to cover maternity or parental leave.” Posted on: 10/2/2024
This is false. In fact, Delta expanded maternity, parental and bonding leave, now including non-birthing, adoptive and parents through surrogacy, giving you more time to focus on new family members. Birthing parents receive a total of 12 weeks of leave (maternity and parental) and non-birthing parents receive 2 weeks parental leave paid at 100%.
IAM Claims: “… it takes Delta workers six months longer to reach the top of the scale, at 10.5 years. The unionized carriers have raises on whole years (1, 2, 3, etc.)” and suggests it can deliver a “5-year pay scale”. Posted on: 10/2/2024
This is misleading. The first three step increases on the Delta pay scale occur at 6-month intervals, for the first 1.5 years of service. This is on top of Delta’s annual pay increases. Delta agents currently reach top-of-scale 6 months quicker (after 10.5 years of service) than their peers at United and American (after 11 years of service). If ramp agents at American vote to ratify their new agreement, they will reach top-of-scale in 10 years instead of the current 11 years. This is far from the five-year compressed pay scale IAM suggests it can negotiate at Delta.
In a recent communication, IAM claimed that a union contract would have prevented or somehow “helped” with Delta’s recovery after the CrowdStrike event. Among the claims made was that (1) “the number of crew schedulers can be guaranteed in a union contract” and (2) “flight benefits are guaranteed by union contracts, so while flying would have been difficult, it would not have been prohibited.” Posted on: 9/4/2024
Both these claims are not true. (1) If IAM were to become the representative of Delta’s Ramp and Cargo workers, it would have no authority to negotiate over “the number of crew schedulers.” We are unaware of any airline union contract that addresses this and IAM did not provide any example to support this claim. (2) Company policy, not union contracts, governs pass travel, and generally, union contracts merely say that employees are entitled to the same travel privileges available to other employees. For example, at American, the IAM/TWU contract says: “Employees covered by this Agreement and their immediate families will be granted the same transportation privileges on the Company's system as may be established by Company regulations for all personnel.” Delta did not take lightly the decision to suspend non-revenue travel for a short period of time during the CrowdStrike outage, but it was applied across the company, helped immensely in returning the operation to normal, and is highly unlikely any existing union contract would have impacted a company’s ability to implement.
The CrowdStrike caused IROP was an incredibly stressful time for many of our passengers and our employees but, in true Delta spirit, we came together to get through it. IAM’s divisive attempt to claim it could have delivered a different outcome speaks volumes about its character and culture.
IAM said that Delta is contracting out ramp operations at E & F concourses in ATL. Is that true? Posted on: 4/24/2024
No. Delta has no plans to contact out ramp operations in ATL. These types of rumors confuse employees and create fear of outsourcing.
Have you heard that you can simply “try out” the IAM and easily vote it out if you don’t like the results? Posted on: 1/31/2024
That is misleading. The process of “decertifying”, or voting out, a union isn’t easy. We have not seen a workgroup even half the size of Delta’s ACS team succeed in returning to non-union status.
In order to vote out, or “decertify”, IAM, Delta employees – not the company – would need to: organize and collect authorization cards from at least 50% of ACS ramp and cargo agents, file an application for an election with the National Mediation Board, and win an election for “no” representative. Employees would also successfully have to defend against any “interference” claims from the union.
Legally, Delta could not provide any financial or other assistance to employees with this effort. On the other hand, IAM would likely fund efforts to remain the union representative.
IAM Claim: Delta recently held an "anti-union training session” led by an outside law firm, complete with security present, and instructions to turn off cell phones. Posted on: 11/8/2023
This is false. Delta regularly conducts compliance training for leaders, led by Delta people, to ensure they understand the requirements of the Railway Labor Act and are prepared to share the facts about union representation. Security does not attend these meetings and employees are not advised to turn off their cell phones
IAM organizers said that with an IAM contract we will “continue to be able to have the same seniority and pay if we move upstairs… We the members are the deciders not the company.” Posted on: 10/11/2023
Can IAM really guarantee that?
No. Union contracts can only determine how seniority is accrued and used for the workgroup the union represents. That means that if IAM were elected to represent ramp and cargo employees here, it would have no say in how seniority benefits are treated for any other group within ACS or any other division at Delta. For example, at American, when an IAM-represented ramp agent goes above-wing, their seniority resets for purposes of pay, shift bidding and more. That is controlled by the above-wing contract between American and the CWA/IBT.
Also, IAM cannot unilaterally guarantee what ends up in a contract. A contract requires the agreement of both the company and the union. This involves compromise and no one knows what a final contract between IAM and Delta would look like.
IAM has said that Delta management has threatened things like, quote, “if you vote to join IAM [you] will lose your flight benefits” and “If you go for a union, you could lose flight benefits and profit-sharing.” Posted on: 10/11/2023
This is false. Delta has merely shared the facts about other industry contracts. Neither Delta nor IAM know what would be in a potential Delta-IAM contract.
To clear this up: a typical union contract at other airlines simply makes clear that employees in that workgroup receive the same company pass travel program as any other employee. It does not contain negotiated details about pass travel. And on profit sharing, agreements IAM has negotiated at other carriers are significantly lower than Delta’s (and even other employees at those carriers). For example, at United, IAM negotiated the worst of three profit sharing plans at the airline – lower than pilots and lower than flight attendants. And, for many years, Delta’s profit sharing plan and payouts have exceeded those of our competitors. For example, for 2022, Delta paid out 5.57% profit sharing payments, while United ramp and cargo agents received just 0.84%.
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Text DELTA to +1 205 846 8096 for updates*
*By texting the keyword above, you are agreeing to receive periodic SMS text messages from Delta Air Lines regarding One Future. One Delta. Standard messaging and data rates may apply. You may unsubscribe any time by texting “STOP” and the keyword above to +1 205 846 8096. Full Terms.