Pilots' dispute with Delta has many facets besides just pay

Pilots' dispute

with Delta has many facets besides just pay

In response to the Delta employee's

letter (The Citizen, March 14), I'd like to set the record straight.

There are too many issues and

sections of an airline pilot's contract to intelligently debate in a newspaper

or on a TV newscast. It's easy for Delta management to say they are offering

the pilots the highest wages in the industry without being caught in a

lie because they can "spin" their pay-rate formula to make it

look like the Delta pilots are the highest paid in the industry.

It's also too easy for those

of you who are ignorant of the Delta pilots' contract to say, "Oh,

those greedy Delta pilots!", without taking the time to investigate

the real issues.

Many of the issues pilots feel

strongly enough about to strike have little to do with pay rates. Here

are just a few:

1. Job out-sourcing through

international code-share alliances and small regional airline alliances.

Delta customers buy a Delta ticket but end up on another carrier's airplane

many times without their knowledge, (bait-and-switch marketing?). Pilots

are concerned that not only is this not good for the Delta customers from

a quality standpoint but takes away from flying Delta pilots should be

doing according to the first paragraph of every pilot contract since 1940

(Scope clause).

2. Two-tier pay scale. Delta

Express pilots makes 44 percent less than the industry average for flying

Boeing 737 aircraft. Delta Air Lines management has repeatedly stated

to anyone that will listen that they are offering the entire pilot group

a contract with the highest pay rates in the airline industry. This simply

is not true.

Every management contract proposal

to date has continued to mandate a two-tier pay scale. Delta management

would have you believe this pay-rate at Delta Express is necessary to

compete against Southwest Airlines. This is simply not true. Check the

respective route structures, Delta competes head-to-head with Southwest

Airlines on only a very small percentage of Delta Express's route structure.

3. If you consider the explosive

growth of the regional jet flying (ASA and Comair Airlines) the third

tier of the Delta pilot pay scale. Delta flying is being out-sourced to

underpaid and overworked ASA and Comair pilots. Consider Delta has more

regional jets on order than currently exist in the world! That makes the

Delta pilot group suspicious, to say the least.

4. Retroactive pay to the amendable

date of our last contract, which was May 1, 2000. Whatever pay increase

we receive must be retroactively effective from May 1, 2000, otherwise

we reward the company for "dragging its feet" during contract

negotiations. Without retroactive pay the company has little incentive

to negotiate in good faith.

5. Delta continues to be one

of the only major airlines that does not supply crew meals to pilots.

The majority of major airlines supply crew meals for pilots and flight

attendants who are on the road for as much as six days at a stretch, many

times without any time between multiple leg trips to eat a decent meal.

This is unsafe and we've complained about it for years.

6. Finally, pay. Fact: Delta

pilots have not received a raise in almost 10 years. During that time

inflation has risen 23 percent (Wall Street Journal figures).

The pilot group consists of

more than 10,000 pilots based all over the country. If you ask each pilot

what issues he or she feels strongly about you'll get 10,000 different

answers. We do agree on two things, though. Unity will secure the superior

working agreement we deserve and each pilot has a vote on whether to accept

or decline the company's offer.

Mark J. Holt

Peachtree City