DL Terminates Labor Activist Kip Hedges

[WorldTraveler]

I just answered the question in another thread.

but I'll repeat it here.

You and the unionistas can point to all of the outsourcing that DL has done but you better make very sure that you include all of the job losses at other airlines.

I can absolutely assure you that other carriers laid off as many people during the 90s as DL did. DL just happened to put an easy to remember name behind 7.5 but you are delusional if you think that there weren't tens of thousands of jobs lost thruout the industry because of the Gulf Wars.

the only thing DL differently was to use those layoffs to create a sustainable business strategy instead of the continuous hiring and layoff binges which have been typical for the industry and which unions have been unable to stop one way or the other.

 

[robbedagain]

and DL not done laying off as they keep slamming the door shut in some of their other former hubs and cities    but then again this thread is about Kip   and DL illegally firing of him.     But I would not expect you grasp it  since u cant grasp crap

 

[eolesen]

the only thing DL differently was to use those layoffs to create a sustainable business strategy instead of the continuous hiring and layoff binges which have been typical for the industry and which unions have been unable to stop one way or the other.

If 7.5 resulted in such a sustainable strategy, then why did DL have to declare bankruptcy within ten years of its inception?...

I know, you don't have to answer because it's off topic.

 

[WorldTraveler]

for ramp costs, it was sustainable.

the fact that other airlines cut far deeper later on is proof that DL's ramp strategy did position DL for the future.

and before someone pipes up and touts what the IAM did at NW, they also need to consider that AMFA's failed strike took care a huge part of the cost cuts that NW needed to make.

 

[Kev3188]

Meanwhile...




"I wanted to give everyone a brief update on my situation. By Monday Delta should have my appeal of my termination. I don't hold out great hope of returning to work through the Company's appeal process. The same people who made the decision to fire me will be the ones judging my case. Delta HR and executives are Judge, Jury and Executioner.
Were this a union airline there would be an opportunity for union reps and me to investigate, cross examine, and find witnesses. There would be at least 2 hearings with the company, the union and me to try to resolve my case. If that failed, there would be arbitration in front of a neutral third party much like a court hearing.
As a non union employee I have no due process. My only alternative is to file a Federal court case. Most workers when they are fired, cannot afford to pay the tens of thousands of dollars required for Federal court, even if their firing is clearly illegal. Luckily the IAM is prepared to take this all the way to trial at no cost to me.
We need to be clear on the fact that what I said on the video is protected activity under the law. As a worker who is trying to form a union I do have certain rights. I have the right to communicate with my coworkers, friends and the public about wages, working conditions, hours, safety, benefits, any Delta policy as it relates to workers. This includes social media, newspapers and television. That is why my termination is considered illegal and must be challenged in every way legally possible."

 

[eolesen]

Good for Kip if the IAM is going to bankroll the appeal. And they should. This smacks of retaliation for organizing, regardless of whatever may or may not be in the guy's P file. It wouldn't surprise me if most of what's documented there is simply building a case to get rid of him *because* he's an organizer.

Arbitrators and courtrooms can and will recognize that for what it is. DL doesn't want this going to court because it will just embolden the next card drive that is now almost certain to come.

 

[robbedagain]

Agree with you E     Good luck to Kip and hope to see him get his job back.  

 

[WorldTraveler]

Meanwhile...




"I wanted to give everyone a brief update on my situation. By Monday Delta should have my appeal of my termination. I don't hold out great hope of returning to work through the Company's appeal process. The same people who made the decision to fire me will be the ones judging my case. Delta HR and executives are Judge, Jury and Executioner.
Were this a union airline there would be an opportunity for union reps and me to investigate, cross examine, and find witnesses. There would be at least 2 hearings with the company, the union and me to try to resolve my case. If that failed, there would be arbitration in front of a neutral third party much like a court hearing.
As a non union employee I have no due process. My only alternative is to file a Federal court case. Most workers when they are fired, cannot afford to pay the tens of thousands of dollars required for Federal court, even if their firing is clearly illegal. Luckily the IAM is prepared to take this all the way to trial at no cost to me.
We need to be clear on the fact that what I said on the video is protected activity under the law. As a worker who is trying to form a union I do have certain rights. I have the right to communicate with my coworkers, friends and the public about wages, working conditions, hours, safety, benefits, any Delta policy as it relates to workers. This includes social media, newspapers and television. That is why my termination is considered illegal and must be challenged in every way legally possible."

and with all due respect to Kip, perhaps the case needs to go to court to make clear what is legally protected and what is not.

He clearly thinks he has rights and can say things that DL might not agree with - or else that there are other issues which are part of the story which DL can and will show is the reason they released him.

That is precisely why I have said all along that there might very well be another part of the story which DL knows and the rest of the world does not.

 

[topDawg]

I just answered the question in another thread.

but I'll repeat it here.

You and the unionistas can point to all of the outsourcing that DL has done but you better make very sure that you include all of the job losses at other airlines.

I can absolutely assure you that other carriers laid off as many people during the 90s as DL did. DL just happened to put an easy to remember name behind 7.5 but you are delusional if you think that there weren't tens of thousands of jobs lost thruout the industry because of the Gulf Wars.

the only thing DL differently was to use those layoffs to create a sustainable business strategy instead of the continuous hiring and layoff binges which have been typical for the industry and which unions have been unable to stop one way or the other.

You keep bringing up 7.5 and I'm not. 
AGAIN lets compare AA's BK scope to Delta's.....you want to keep bring this up and honestly I'm over seeing it. So put your money where your mouth is and lets be honest who did more cutting.....
 

If 7.5 resulted in such a sustainable strategy, then why did DL have to declare bankruptcy within ten years of its inception?...

I know, you don't have to answer because it's off topic.

winner. 
 

for ramp costs, it was sustainable.

the fact that other airlines cut far deeper later on is proof that DL's ramp strategy did position DL for the future.

and before someone pipes up and touts what the IAM did at NW, they also need to consider that AMFA's failed strike took care a huge part of the cost cuts that NW needed to make.

so it was sustainable which why Delta cut more ramp station in BK? Thats logical. 
 
and so you want to blame the AMFA for the scope at NW then who is at fault for scope at AA? 8 ML flights a day is a hell of a lot better than what Delta has. With 8 flights a day 
DL would have to add BHM, SAV, SAT, AUS, SAN, JAX, PIT, RDU, BNA, CLT, IAD....and I am sure there are more. 
 
So now, please go a head and tell us how Delta is better off than AA in this case.......
 

and with all due respect to Kip, perhaps the case needs to go to court to make clear what is legally protected and what is not.

He clearly thinks he has rights and can say things that DL might not agree with - or else that there are other issues which are part of the story which DL can and will show is the reason they released him.

That is precisely why I have said all along that there might very well be another part of the story which DL knows and the rest of the world does not.

except it doesn't work that way. Delta can't put things in your file(or they have policy that says) without you knowing. So if "there more to the story" Kip and his legal staff would know about it.  

 

[Kev3188]

Good for Kip if the IAM is going to bankroll the appeal. And they should. This smacks of retaliation for organizing, regardless of whatever may or may not be in the guy's P file. It wouldn't surprise me if most of what's documented there is simply building a case to get rid of him *because* he's an organizer.

Arbitrators and courtrooms can and will recognize that for what it is. DL doesn't want this going to court because it will just embolden the next card drive that is now almost certain to come.

 
Exactly.
 
...Or has emboldened the current card drive(s)...

 

[WorldTraveler]

and it is precisely BECAUSE of DL's policy of the employee signing what is in their file that they could very well have more than enough cause for their actions without ever getting into the current video campaign.

those who want to see this termination as solely about union campaigns might be surprised to find out that DL has enough in the rest of the story that others don't want to acknowledge exists.

I didn't bring up 7.5. It has been repeatedly brought up by others as evidence of what the company did to the ramp.

it was 20 years ago. and even what happened in BK isn't relevant any more. UA has been out of BK longer than DL and yet their unions are agreeing to cuts in scope. AA/US even with a merger has fewer mainline staffed stations - some of AA's own union apologists have admitted that. If the union has such power there, why have they not managed to correct that?

as for scope, it is precisely that type of union mindset between mainline and DCI that DL doesn't use - and which causes DL employees to gain if such a rule were applied. ATL, LGA, JFK, and other large stations where hundreds of flights are worked by mainline employees would not be DL mainline stations under such rules but you and others want to argue about some smaller stations.

I want to see every station worked by mainline employees but you represent exactly the union mindset that wants to see scope as a one way street - never seeing the benefits the company's system provides.

 

[topDawg]

it was 20 years ago. and even what happened in BK isn't relevant any more. UA has been out of BK longer than DL and yet their unions are agreeing to cuts in scope. AA/US even with a merger has fewer mainline staffed stations - some of AA's own union apologists have admitted that. If the union has such power there, why have they not managed to correct that?
 

Few things, yes it does matter. You don't get to bring something up and then say "no that doesn't matter" 
 
second, AA/US have yet to agree to a JCBA. However, assuming that the scope stays about the same(a fair assumption because the arbitrator can't touch it AFAIK), then AA/US will end up having more mainline station. Now AA/US could pull a United but I don't see it likely. United is an interesting case when it comes to the ramp because you had a ton of senior people who wanted out. They got theirs (the early out) and said piss on the rest of you. I don't think that will happen here......I was shocked the IAM supported it honestly. 
Its not completely fair to compare just AA to DL/NW because AA is a good bit smaller. Once AA/US really merge, like Delta now, they will be larger in stations that will cause mainline to be triggered. HNL is a great example. AA is under 8 flights a day, however with US AA will be at or above 8 flights a day. That would cause that station to come back in-house. 
 
 

as for scope, it is precisely that type of union mindset between mainline and DCI that DL doesn't use - and which causes DL employees to gain if such a rule were applied. ATL, LGA, JFK, and other large stations where hundreds of flights are worked by mainline employees would not be DL mainline stations under such rules but you and others want to argue about some smaller stations.
 

That isn't true. As part of the Northwest scope, for example, they also worked (and counted) 76 seat jets into the numbers. So NW mainline also worked airlink flying as well as mainline. 

 

[WorldTraveler]

I am only addressing 7.5 because other people have repeatedly brought it up.

either 7.5 matters and you also have to look at what happened at other airlines in the same time frame or it doesn't matter then.

Either you have to look at what other carriers have done in the past 5 years or even two years or it doesn't matter.

yes, I know that NW considered 76 seater flying in determining station staffing. DL employees have long worked RJs. most of NYC is large RJs. All of the non-mainline LAX and SEA is as well. DL is adding more mainline flights than any other airline, WN included. DL mainline is growing.

AA fans can say that AA just came out of BK -but supposedly part of the reason for AA to file was to make it better on shareholders. So if the shareholders came out better but employees still got hit just as bad as when other airlines filed for Bk in a far less friendly business environment, what good did the unions do for AA? and UA has been out of BK longer than DL or NW. There is no excuse that can be used for UA and the IAM's willingness to cut jobs and stations at UA other than FT topped out members there were willing to save their own jobs and benefits

 

[Kev3188]

Few things, yes it does matter. You don't get to bring something up and then say "no that doesn't matter" 

Sure he can. Then he'll flip it around and accuse you of doing exactly what he's done.
 

That isn't true. As part of the Northwest scope, for example, they also worked (and counted) 76 seat jets into the numbers. So NW mainline also worked airlink flying as well as mainline. 

Yep.

And of course in the line stations, employees worked everything that came into their gate, covered or not...


#IAMStandingWithKip

 

[eolesen]

What a great hashtag....