Thread: Delta/NW Union, Yay or Nay?

Originally Posted by Pago Flyer

Union folks have often told me, "one good thing about the union, they protect the incompetent", and "the union bosses get a good salary"!

Some of that is true. But they also protect us from incompetant management. It's not a perfect system. If a boss has it in for you, he can't just fire you like in alot of jobs. It takes away the personality differences, protects you from backstabbing, no matter what they say, they can't just chug you. Keeps other things in check. They have to have a good reason beyond a doubt to fire you. It's almost as good as protection I've seen for folks in the military and government. Work rules are more defined and standardized. Despite this, we've had good relations with our management. Believe me, my pitch is not in getting you to organize. It makes no difference to me what you guys do. I'm just saying that I'd rather be union than not in this industry. I embrace the union due to "Lesser of two evils" syndrome. Not because of a deep love for them. You guys do what you want.

Frankly, I don't know what's going on at Delta. They sure must be doing alot of overtime trying to keep the unions away. What does Delta offer their employees? Power pizza break every Friday? Super turkey's on Thanksgiving?

PAGO FLYER
"the union bosses get a good salary"!

There may be one or two guys in the union that make a good salary. Buisness agent I think they call them. These guys put in alot of time in the union, and really don't make a whole lot of money when you compare it to executives in major companies that end up paying themselves a whole lot more money. A union buisness agent may draw in the neighborhood of maybe 125,000 per year. That's huge money to me, maybe even to you that's big money but in a world of airline industry, stock markets, huge corporate companies Exxon, Mobil, Aerospace companies, and on and on and on.... like look what these head honchos make. How much do your head figures make at Delta? The business agent gets alot of static from employees that push for answers and want miracles to happen, resolve continual grievances. I don't think I would want that job. Sure, they get nice perks, and stay in fancy hotels, wined and dined, but I'd rather spend that time with my wife, in our little cubby hotel doing our own thing and flying in free in our standby status to where I WANT TO GO. And somebody has to do that buisness agent job. Better someone that enjoys it more than me, and can do things for us in representation and collective bargaining.

It's not like you walk in the door and everyone is sitting in a chair looking at you when the boss man tells you that you must clear your desk, or tools, and that you gotta leave the premises. All based on a "Buisness decision", not to keep you. Or "You're just not a team player". When in reality, its all because they dislike your political views, your style, your religion or your race, or whatever. Though not perfect, the union keeps that in pretty good check.

Yea, sounds like a railroad job. But this happens in unions too. After all, they are people too. At least they try to accomodate a hairy situation and place you in a different area if you have a beef with people or supervisor. Nothing is perfect but I still go with the representation. You may not always like the outcome or agree with it, but sometimes its all you got. Like me, I like to tell some people to go @$%!! themselves and that tends to put me in shady ground but then I exit the situation before it gets more hairy.