Just why is AFA using an organizer for the upcoming NWA merger campaign who not only completely failed after more than a year of campaigning at Delta, but whose faulty organization skills created the headlines below in major news outlets? Not surprisingly, Campbell didn’t have the courage to show up for any of the interviews and take responsibility for losing the Delta flight attendant vote.
- International Herald Tribune, Not enough Delta flight attendants voted in union election for vote to count, http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/28/business/NA-FIN-US-Delta-Flight-Attendants.php
- Wall St. Journal, Delta Workers Reject Union, (requires subscription to see full article) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121202699394628195.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
- Reuters, Bid to unionize Delta Air flight attendants fails, http://uk.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUKWBT00906620080528
If we believe, as AFA claimed and repeated over and over and over again, that they filed for an election at Delta with cards from “a solid majority” of the Delta flight attendants (see AFA press release here: http://afanet.org/default.asp?id=987), then we have no choice but to also believe that under Campbell’s watch, after several months and spending many thousands of your dues dollars, AFA actually LOST thousands of votes at Delta. How is this possible? How does someone fail so miserably and yet retain his position? Is AFA leadership looking out for the best interest of its flight attendant members, or is job security at AFA tied to political friendships and bureaucratic self-interests?
Campbell was also Vice President of NWA AFA when AFA International President Pat Friend and her locally appointed interim puppet leadership pulled CHAOS off the table, even though the vast majority of the membership was prepared to strike and fight for a better contract. This means that the solidarity that voted down TA1 and TA2 was WASTED on his watch and under Pat Friend’s direction. We are all living under the abhorrent results.
Oh, and let’s not forget about Campbell’s recent campaign to kiss Delta CEO Richard Anderson’s butt, in which he suckered the NWA AFA leadership to sign a letter to Anderson that was then used as a petition…even after CEO Anderson blatantly mocked AFA in a video that was sent to Delta FA’s homes. Interestingly Campbell foolishly was willing to go to the media with praise for Anderson (who he later remembered was the one who first mentioned foreign outsourcing on the NWA property), but as mentioned above, won’t go to the media to defend his own work and embarrassing loss on the DAL campaign.
And lest we forget, Campbell is the same “organizer” who spreads his “union ideals” by getting people to switch unions, thus creating new work for everyone else and a new union staff position for himself. This wildfire approach to alleged unionism has burned flight attendants’ solidarity and hurt the union movement in ways that are unimaginable – and that some would even describe as outright union busting. When Delta management mocked the revolving union door at NWA, they were mocking Campbell, as well as his failed leadership, and long history of bickering with other union leaders, past and present.
It was Campbell who initiated the raid on Northwest flight attendants at a time when they most desperately needed solidarity in their historic fight against NWA management. The impetus for his loathsome action? He did not get his way as a member of the negotiations committee under the democratic structure of the former union, so he resigned and set out to work against the NWA flight attendants for his own personal gain. With behavior like that, is it any wonder that he finds no support from those who have worked the most closely with him?
And now Campbell wants others to step up for him and his campaign even though he has not stepped up for them or for the Northwest flight attendants. He maintains his cushy full time (with perks) union staff job playing puppeteer while other real unionists fight the battle on the front line and live the real union ideals – and not just spout them on online forums and in phone calls. Demagoguery is alive and well at AFA and its name is Danny Campbell.
Sincerely,
Jose Arturo Ibarra
