Release #06.DAL17
April 7, 2006

Delta Pilots Ordered to 'Clear Lockers' and Prepare to Strike

ATLANTA, Ga. -- With the decision deadline looming, the Delta pilots continue full-scale strike preparations in the event their contract is rejected. Today, the Delta pilots’ union, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) ordered all Delta pilots to remove all of their professional and personal gear from their pilot bases throughout the country. This step is necessary preparation for the possibility that Delta’s senior executives will soon force the pilots to strike by rejecting their contract. The pilots have had a union contract continuously for the past 65 years.

At full service international network carriers like Delta, pilots report to ‘Crew Rooms’ to update flight manuals, check safety and security bulletins and brief for in-flight contingencies prior to manning their aircraft. These facilities also provide storage for pilot flight kits, uniforms and other personal belongings. Retrieval of professional and personal gear will prevent senior executives from blocking access to this equipment by a lockout.

Earlier this week, the union’s governing body gave their chairman sole authority to order a strike and directed him to issue the clear lockers order in preparation for a strike. Delta MEC Chairman, Captain Lee Moak, affirmed, “The Delta pilots will strike if their contract is rejected.”

Despite the possibility of a strike becoming more likely every day, Delta executives do have a choice: Delta senior executives can withdraw their 1113 motion to reject the pilots’ contract, begin meaningful negotiations and immediately begin to restore stability to the airline. Instead, they continue to attack the pilots with overreaching demands, while having no plan to deal with the fallout from this course of action. 

While hope for a settlement is dimming, the Delta pilots remain committed to reaching comprehensive, consensual agreement that meets the long-term needs of the Delta pilots and helps chart a new course for a successful Delta Air Lines.

Founded in 1931, the Air Line Pilots Association ( ALPA) represents 62,000 pilots at 39 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. ALPA represents approximately 6,000 active Delta Air Lines pilots and 500 furloughed Delta pilots. Visit the ALPA website at http://www.alpa.org and the Delta pilots’ website at http://www.deltapilots.org/.

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CONTACT: Kelly Collins, 404-763-4925. Please visit the Delta pilots’ website: www.deltapilots.org for more information.