Welcome To Member Engagement

The union's most important resource is our membership. We are committed to a strategy of increasing our power through membership education and activism. That is the basic premise of member mobilization. Fundamentally, a union's power at any point in time is nothing more than the total energy and support of its mobilized members.

September 2008
Dear IMPACT Leaders,

In early 2008 we sent you a bulletin addressing the possibility that NWA AFA might face a combined union representational vote involving both Delta and Northwest Flight Attendants, in the event of an approved merger. With the final approval of the Delta/Northwest merger apparently imminent, that possibility has now become a reality. The merger will significantly affect all Flight Attendants at Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, and it is important that we be well informed and ready for the union representational election.

IMPACT was created so that we would be prepared for the challenges associated with a merger, including the combined representational election. In other words, the joint campaign is absorbing the IMPACT team into the joint organizing structure. As a current IMPACT team volunteer, you will be transitioned into the joint campaign as Phone Info Reps. However, volunteers are needed for State Chairs and for Visibility Info Reps, if that is preferable.

Campaign Volunteers Needed:

State Chairs and Info Reps (Phone & Visibility)

What's At Stake? Just to Name a Few:
- Hard won protection against outsourcing
- Legally binding contract that cannot be changed at managementʼs whim
- The ability to negotiate a new industry leading contract, rather than simply having to accept what management offers
- Date-of-Hire seniority integration and a ʻfence agreementʼ between both groups, to protect our flying until we can negotiate an industry-leading contract together
- The right to Due Process and to union representation for disciplinary matters

Our most important resource now is our membership. Our power exists in the total energy and support of flight attendants who can be mobilized to collective action. We must be prepared to win the election, to avoid losing our bargaining rights and union representation altogether. Only then can we mount a strong and effective contract campaign, to restore our pay and benefits losses incurred during bankruptcy. Together, we must secure our futures and dispel the rumors that create division in our ranks.

The right to collective bargaining gives us the power to determine our contract and have a voice in our careers. As members of one union, our voices will be 22,000 strong. If you know of any flight attendants willing to join the fight to protect our future in a merger by securing union representation at the world's largest airline, they can contact us by e-mailing our at impact@nwaafa.org or call the office at 952-241-4108. For more information on the joint campaign structure, please visit www.deltaafa.org.

In Solidarity,

MEC Member Engagement Committee
impact@nwaafa.org


August 2008

A lot of changes have been going on at our union this summer. The MEC appointed two new leaders to the Member Engagement Committee: Angela Brewer and Jarrod Anderson, Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. In advance of the Delta/NWA merger, the MEC and LEC also appointed a Campaign Coordinating Committee (C3) that will build a strategy and campaign for the representational election if the Department of Justice approves a single carrier.

The C3 has four Northwest and four Delta Members and in July, they met at AFA headquarters in Washington D.C. to develop the framework for the campaign and create training models for those who volunteer for the campaign.

Jarrod and I will be working directly with the C3 and will be folding the IMPACT program into this endeavor. Our main focus right now has to be maintaining representation once we merge as a single carrier. In late August, we will receive more information from the C3 detailing our next steps for this campaign, and will pass that along to our volunteers.

It is more important than ever that our group stay informed and educated! Read emails and check our website periodically to stay abreast of the latest developments. We can't afford to lose over 60 years of bargaining rights.

Angela Brewer, Member Engagement Chair