Meet Sara Gonzales
In the continuing series on
Machinist union leaders and influencers who will insert themselves between
Delta flight attendants and Delta leaders, we can’t overlook ExpressJet flight
attendant and IAM District Lodge General Chairperson Sara Gonzales. You may not
know Sara, but she’s already declaring her expectations on the changes she’d
like to see for the Delta Flight attendants. Think of her as the third party
you’ll wish you never knew.
Here’s what Sara had to say
about Delta’s industry leading PPT (paid personal time):
“Did you know Jet Blue also
has PTO instead of sick time? I don't know of any union represented carriers
with PTO instead of a sick bank...just something to think about.”
Sara doesn’t want you to have
PPT. She calls it “PTO” because she doesn’t really know Delta Air Lines or
Delta flight attendants, but Sara knows she wants us to conform to what
unionized flight attendants have and that means trading in our uniquely
flexible PPT (we can use it for sick calls, trip drops, MTO, extra vacation, to
pre-block days off, or for extra cash) for the very restrictive single-purpose
sick time.
If Sara gets us what IAM got
the Continental flight attendants, we’ll accrue 4 hours per month, (provided
that we fly a minimum of 40 hours that month), which is less than our current
PPT accrual – and we’ll only be able to use it for sick calls.
Here is a short list of other
benefits, unique to Delta, which Sara and the Machinists will likely scuttle in
order to align the Delta flight attendants with those other “union represented
carriers”:
******** A-days (and all the
individual financial control and swapping options they bring).
******** Pure 4:45 per A-day
guarantee. All other airlines have a monthly average guarantee for their full month
reserve lines.
******** 540 hour annual
flying requirement for full-time benefits. At other carriers, it is a more
restrictive monthly requirement,
******** Monthly schedule
bidding range between 45 – 90 hours. At Sara’s ExpressJet, the range is 80 – 95
hours during schedule bidding.
******** Profit sharing at a
percentage of pay that is not only industry leading, but unheard of throughout
all industry.
The question that no one
seems to be able to answer is: Why in the world should the Delta flight
attendants pay $14 million a year to the IAM, so that Sara and her pals can
swoop in and destroy all the work rules that are different (in a better way)
about Delta?
Oh, and in case you’re
wondering, Sara’s current six-figure per year position with IAM is as a lead
negotiator for the ExpressJet flight attendants, whose contract negotiations
have been stalled so long that they haven’t received a raise since 2009!! Is
there really anyone who thinks Sara and the Machinists can do better at Delta?
Really?!? Interestingly, Sara has been so distracted with the IAM Delta
campaign that she has been unable to update her own members (who pay her
salary) about their negotiations since August 14, 2014! http://www.iamoneuniononevoice.org/.
Who in their right mind would want to pay $700 - $800 a year in dues to the
IAM, just to be ignored, when we are getting all of their attention (and food
and drinks at their mixers) for free?
For a cringe-worthy look at
Sara and IAM negotiators in “action”, see this embarrassing year-old
negotiations “update”:
Fourteen million dollars a year for
THIS?!?!? No, thanks, IAM!
Please
share this email and my blog with your friends and coworkers.
Sincerely,
Jose
Arturo Ibarra
Please
find out additional factual information here: http://bedeltabedifferent.com/
