In October, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) won an election to represent 107 pilot ground-training instructors at Delta, by a margin of one vote. Delta, which has not faced a union election in decades, issued a statement saying the company is "disappointed that the Delta pilot ground trainers have chosen an outside group to become involved in a relationship that involves them and their company."

This union victory gives a boost to the efforts of ramp workers and mechanics to join the TWU, as well as other workers at Delta, which employs more than 75,000 workers worldwide.

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) has also stepped up its efforts at Delta to seek an election among the airline's 20,000 attendants early next year. Nine thousand Delta pilots are already represented by the Airline Pilot Association (ALPA).

Jeff Osborne, staff organizer for the TWU, said the instructors' vote "was a huge win." He added that the election results should help the organizing campaigns of ramp workers, flight attendants, and mechanics. The TWU expects to file a petition by the end of the year for an election among some 10,000 ramp workers.

A 1997 bid for an election among ramp workers failed when federal labor officials ruled that the union lacked the required signatures. Clerical staff had worked overtime to match signature cards requesting the union election with signatures on original employment applications. Any signature that did not match exactly was challenged.

The TWU and AFA, both of which have offices in Atlanta, are now collecting election request cards, holding open houses, and passing out leaflets and videos to Delta workers in Atlanta and across the country.

At Delta's board meeting held October 28 in Boston, the company's board of directors named Leo Mullin chairman, adding to his titles of president and chief executive. One of the 50 pilots who attended the meeting asked Mullin to verify or dispute estimates that Delta has spent $2.5 million on consultants to defeat the organizing drives. Mullin acknowledged the use of consultants, but claimed ignorance on how much had been spent. He repeated his often-stated contention that further unionization at Delta would hurt "employee relations" and drive up costs.

To gain an election, a union has to collect signed cards over a 12-month period from at least 35 percent of the targeted work group. The cards are submitted to the National Mediation Board, which determines the size of the eligible work group and whether the union has the needed support. If an election is approved, more than half the eligible workers must cast "yes" votes for the union to be certified.

Opinions are divided among workers at Atlanta's sprawling airport. A ramp worker named Dave, who did not want to give his last name, told the Militant, "I have been working for Delta for 25 years and I never thought we needed a union. Now I think not only do we need a union, but it is just a matter of time."

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Brian Vaughn, a volunteer organizer for the TWU and a Delta ramp worker for 12 years, said, "What bothers me is the lack of a contract to protect us when the top guys decide to outsource jobs or cut benefits."

One of the biggest issues is the lack of a contract. Workers are afraid that the benefits and wages they have today could be taken away tomorrow. They notice the fact that Delta posted a $1.1 billion profit for its fiscal year that ended June 30, and gave Mullin a multimillion-dollar bonus, but recently cut the wage scale for new customer service agents. Other workers are opposed to the union or are not sure that a union is the answer. Delta issues leaflets opposing the union's efforts and according to union officials, the company has intimidated and hindered efforts to get out union information. "We've had cases where management has had all the furniture removed from where we have set up in the lounges or sent a bunch of supervisors to hang out in the lounge, which obviously keeps a lot of people away from our table," said AFA organizer David Borer.

Despite the resistance by the company, many workers are optimistic that the year 2000 will bring unionization to Delta workers.  
 
 
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