Go for it Delta workers, vote for the Union. Workers need some representation and collective powers to protect their jobs and their livelily hood. It's not all about wages or benefits, it's a matter of keeping your job without duresss from the company management. It's about keeping a job and income when they get 50 and older. Getting laid off because of age has become the norm from large corporations, especially if there are any retirement benefits and health care benefits when they retire. The american people are brainwashed and are told that unions have caused labor problems, but that is completely wrong. Good paying jobs have been lost because of the lack of unions protecting workers rights to keep their jobs and also profit along with the companies profits, the workers are as responsible for companies gains and earnings as any CEO. Without dedicated workers a company is always at risk of failure and the present econmy has proven this out. Workers should have the right to prevent companies from outsourcing their jobs to the illegal foreign nationals illegally in this country. American have a right to job security just as companies have a right to profit.

Uh-huh.
The same sort of no union nonsense that took place during the Great Depression when Republican Herbert Hoover was in charge.
Then Democrat FDR stepped in and turned things around.

Without it
You have no representation
You will be like Utah
Everyone with 2 Jobs and working for nothing
Prices are already excessive
Don't be fooled

My uncle was a union organizer. One of the biggest satisfactions he would receive was when he would organize a trade with a lot of women in it. They would always tell him "Thank heaven, now we don't have to sleep with the boss anymore!" It's not just pay, it is about working conditions, and respect, go for it Delta!

Everyone should have the opportunity to form and join a union if they so desisre. The term "right to work" state is nothing more than a sham that gives corporate American the right to choose who works, not the worker.

@ Bart

Your statement exposes your lack of understanding. 'Right to work' refers to an employee's right to work without having to join an outside organization. It does not exclude unions. If unions provide great benefit, everyone will want their representation. If not, 'Right to Work' simply allows those not agreeing with the union's viewpoints to work as well. The 'sham' is requiring individuals to join a union with whom they disagree merely to be able to work.

Bob G, You may be interested to know that Delta has over 400 flight attendants over the age of 70. There is no age discrimination as long as you can pass your recurrent training.

Also, top of scale pay Delta vs AFA represented workers at Northwest, United & US Airways: Delta $3080, NW $2982, UA $2837, US $2905.

2007 top of scale Profit sharing Delta vs others: Delta $1651, NW $1355, UA $1149, US $897

I could go on...

You KILLED the US auto industry, giving me the consumer a horrible quality and over-priced product.

You KILLED the US steel industry by strangling innovation and making our steel uncompetitive.

You SLAMMED the door in my face at Geneva Steel whenever I tried to get my foot in the door, saving the cushy jobs only for your own family and close friends. Hum, Geneva Steel is prospering today, isn’t it?

And when our tech jobs were being outsourced to India, you did NOTHING.

Tell me again why I should support your unionization and pay way, way too much for my tickets?

Sure, go ahead and let the union do your thinking. Give them your money and let them ruin the industry as they have the auto, rail and steel. And BTW, FDR did not end the depression, WWII did.

I was born and raised in Detroit.
I actually know something about unions, what they are about, why they are necessary.

The simplistic explanation:
During slow economic times, CEO's start downsizing.
During very slow economic times CEO's close entire plants, entire cities (Flint, Michigan) sometimes.
The auto workers come to expect these periods (model changeover, etc.) and when things get way out of whack turn to collective bargaining.
As the price of the car increases those who build these cars on the assembly line no longer can afford the cars and go on strike for more pay.
The CEO's then maintain they now must increase the cost of the car and the cycle continues.
The idea of downsizing to the CEO is to put off buying that 3rd Chalet in Switzerland while the assembly-line worker barely gets buy.

In these terrible economic times collective bargaining is more important than ever before.
Strike!
The CEO's can get by on less too.
Believe me they can.

Unions, They one served a noble purpose, but now they are just a reason for good companies to send american jobs elsewhere. The unions are just as greedy, and corupt as the last batch of ceo's to be scolded by the media and the goverment. In todays global economy We need a Pay for perform mentality. Do the Job better and more effiecent you make more money. Unions don't allow for this type of thinking and it is for this reason we are all driving toyotas today.

It all goes back to the word greed again.
Keep it all for oneself and throw those who make you wealthy some table scraps from the corporate table.
CEO's are not MY idea of heroes.
But to the stupid yuppie-minded conservatives, they most certainly are THEIR heroes.

The only thing unions do is protect the bad workers and fill the pockets of the union leaders. In todays global economy unions are as out of date as the steam engine.

Having worked on the ramp for Delta I can tell you the biggest pushers of a union were the laziest employees that were only looking out for themselves.

Unions do not have to deliveron anything they promise. You'll lose more by paying your dues each month.

Further unionization could be the straw that breaks the back of Delta.

Unions had their place in history, but given today's global economy, all unions do is increase costs, stifle a company's ability to manage, and ruin any semblance of a company's ability to compete.

I understand the personal motivations of the individual employee, but they also have to understand the flexibility that is required to successfully navigate a company through stiff competition in this global economy.

Most unions hurts good workers by forcing the company to treat all workers equally (good, bad, and lazy are all considered the same).

My step-father worked on the line at Chrysler for over 30 years. He told me about alcoholic and drug-addicted workers that would regulary miss work and he would have to work even harder because they were absent. The union protected the alcoholic and drug-addicted workers from being fired.

If you can design a union that rewards the good workers, then a union may be a good thing for everyone. But if the union is designed in the typical fashion that assumes good flight attendants are the same as bad flight attendants, then that union will be a bad thing for the company and the society that depends on inexpensive, reliable air transportation.

Of course, most unions will argue that it is impossible to differentiate the good workers from the bad workers. But, most people in the workforce know who is doing their job well and who isn't.

Union representation didn't stop jobs from being outsourced. If that were the case, Tech Jobs wouldn't have been outsourced as very few Tech Jobs have any union protection. Unchecked corporate greed is what caused outsourcing and lassie-faire business practices. NAFTA, WTO and consumer demand for products being delivered at the lowest possible price have caused jobs to leave the good ole' USA. If anything, Unions have made it difficult for business to relocate large swaths of people as they have binding contracts with employees. Some unions are corrupt, sure, but the majority protect their workers well.

Go ahead, flight attendants, unionize......

......and watch as your employer goes bankrupt and you're laid off.

It is an employer's market.
It will be this way for ... who knows?

Here's how it goes:
"WORK!
WORK HARDER!
BENEFITS?
HEALTH INSURANCE?
YOU CAN BE REPLACED, YOU KNOW?
A RAISE?
A FUTURE?
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
LET'S GET THIS STRAIGHT - YOU ARE THE BEE. I AM THE BEEKEEPER!!!
GET IT?
KEEP WORKING!
WORK HARDER!

and get laid off anyway without any guarantee of severence because you have no contract.

It's an employer's market.
And don't think for a second they don't know it.

Without a voice in your future. Your company's idea of what is good for the employees, is just that their opinion. They will do anything to increase the bottom line and make the Shareholders happy. They don not care about the hardships that the common employee must and are going through! Organize and change the cycle!

For the first time in American history, 30 year olds of our generation are, on average, making less money than 30 years olds of their father's generation.

On the other hand, CEO's and corporate officers of major companies are making 400 times more than their workers. In the eighties, they made 10-40 times more than the workers.

This distrubing trend is destroying the middle class and by very nature, our economy. These greedy boards' of director and corporate officers will be the only ones left in America with enough money to purchase goods and services.

This is part of the reason America is headed for one of the worst recessions in decades, if not a depression.

Unionize now and save our country by shoring up the the middle class.

To Anonymous: the way business works is to maximize the bottom line and make shareholders happy. You say that like it's a bad thing. If you were running Delta, how would you do it and still stay competitive?

If your manager is really saying: "YOU ARE THE BEE. I AM THE BEEKEEPER!!!", then it is time to get a new job or start your own company.

Increase your skills and value to the company, and then ask for a raise. If they won't give you a raise, then go get another job. If you can't find another job in the same region and/or industry, then change region and/or industry. If you can't find another job, then start your own company while continuing to work at your old job.

For the skilled and ambitious, there are far too many economic opportunities to sit around and take that kind of treatment.

I'm not running Delta, Earl. I don't think you are either.
But it sounds to me you are PRETENDING that you do.
And that's a little whacky-sounding, don't you think?
I have always been for the little guy.
The greedy have never been MY heroes.

Why don't you just admit it Neocons?
The economic situation in this country is out of whack. I know you'd rather relate to the tycoon who just laid off thousands of workers and raised the companies' net earnings due to the lopped-off overhead, rather than the workers themselves, but how can you live that way?

If it's an employer's market, then become an employer. If you're tired of CEOs making a lot of money, then start taking their customers away by creating your own company.

The airline industry is lousy. It's way too competitive - I wouldn't want to work in it or own shares in an airline. My recommendation is to get out of that industry and do something else.

Starting your own company has never been easier than it is right now (and I'm talking about companies that provide real products or services, not multi-level marketing schemes)). Advances in the internet have made it easier compete with large, established companies by making it possible to reach new customers and markets. Advances in telecommunications have made it easier and cheaper to work with far-flung suppliers and employees.

It's not easy or far from a sure thing, but it is possible to run a successful business.

A corporation is a group of people (board of directors), working together to maximize their economic interests. They don't necessarily do what is in the best interest of the company, they do what is in the best interest of themselves.

A union is a group of people working together to maximize their economic interests. They don't necessarily do what is in the best interest of the company, they do what is in the best interest of themselves.

I have a hard time understanding why one is bad and the other good. Both have similar interests. Sometimes their greed gets the best of the situation, and they hurt themselves. Sometimes they benefit on the other hand.

It's called Capitalism, people.

Wait a second... Didn't Reagan end organized labor?

last time I checked the US auto industry is in shambles. Unions really worked for the auto industry didnt it? It resulted in billions of dollars in losses. Unions also protect the terrible teachers. The bad teachers make the same as the good teachers. Its pretty much impossible to fire a teacher if they are unionized. Unions are a complete waste!

The auto industry is in shambles not because of the little guy on the assembly line. It's because the CEO's downsized, and downsized, and downsized. This cheapened the quality of the car. Overseas competition took over with better quality.
The greedy CEO's made their shareholders oh, so happy because the earnings per share went up because of the reduced overhead.
Economic Rule # 477:
Never expect the beekeepers to cut back on their personal lifestyle. That is for the lowly bees to suffer through.

To Anonymous 12:58: you and I both know your answer is a cop-out. If you're going to criticize the owners and managers, then it's only fair that you come up with a solution as to how it should be run, right? Is that too much to ask?

Earl,

Thousands upon thousands of unemployed workers (and counting) just so the ruling class can maintain their luxurious lifestyles of the rich and famous (relatively speaking, of course).

When you understand what the word "greed" means Earl, you will no longer have to ask that question.

CEO's, with their greedy ways, have never been MY heroes.

Anonymous: wow. That's it? How can employers become rich by laying people off? Are you saying they become rich by putting people out of work? What planet is that happening on?

Lower overhead (wages, healthcare insurance, pensions) =
higher interests per share.

Yuppie scum love it when they can lop off entire corporate divisions.

More for them.

Unions still serve a purpose for the blue collar worker. Without the help of unions their would be more work place acccidents because profits would take precedent over safety.

There would 16 hour days, no overtime and no weekends. The wage would be low and there wouldn't be any benefits.

And to those people who say those days are over and that companies can't take advantage of employees anymore, well look at workers in China they have no union representation and they get walked all over and the government lets it happen.

So go ahead and preach unions are bad and that a economy without them is better, but don't complain when you will be working 16 hour days and have no days off like the Chinese. 100 years ago our country use to operate like that and without unions we will eventually revert back to that time.

a union is just a slow lingering painful way to kill the company and your jobs. a handgun would be quicker and more merciful.

You are never better off with a union. They ceased being of any use about 1950.

'Anonymous' must be a union leader because he hasn't done any work all day. That is unless you count working as sitting on this article and spouting communist...errrrr... union talking points to every reply.

When I was working at Delta 10 years ago as a Ramp employee there was a big push for a Union. I found it funny that all the union honchos were the laziest workers that Delta had. I had to work twice as hard when they were on my crew. They only wanted a union to protect them from being fired because they were incompetent. I'm glad I voted against the union back then. I only can hope that Delta spent their time during bankruptcy to fire all those lazy employees. It was never an age issue. I knew some guys in their 60s out there that worked really hard. The union effort was to protect worthless workers.

Please, please don't unionize. They ruined America with their greediness. Like in the good old days, companies should have the right to do as they please and that means a return to 80 hour work weeks, child labor, unsafe working conditions, and bigger fatter profits for company investors, shareholders, and management. That is the America we want back! Otherwise, companies will just oursource their jobs to places like China in order to make money. Wal-mart and Nike are good examples of that. Wait, Wal-mart and Nike don't have labor unions. In fact, most companies with organized labor are the ones that still have decent paying jobs in this country. So when I read some of these anti-union posts on this story, I'm stupefied at the stupidity of so many people out there. I would agree that organized labor is not the perfect answer, but allowing companies to run wild hasn't helped America's well- being either.