Machinists Oppose Northwest-Delta Merger

WASHINGTON, April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' (IAM) General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. today issued the following statement in response to the proposed merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines:

"Airline industry consolidation will come at tremendous public expense. The Machinists Union's Merger Committee has examined the Northwest-Delta merger proposal, and we firmly believe this merger is not in the best interest of passengers, employees or the communities these airlines currently serve.

Northwest and Delta have both lobbied Congress for pension relief. Both have also frozen their underfunded pension plans. If this ill-advised mega venture fails, the liability for these plans will fall on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and ultimately the American taxpayer.

We will do everything legally possible to oppose any merger that threatens our members' jobs, labor contracts, pensions, seniority, and their right to union representation."

Northwest's IAM members are the only employees at either airline that still have an active, secure defined benefit pension plan, the IAM National Pension Plan. The IAM represents 12,500 Northwest Airlines Ramp Service Employees, Stores Clerks, Customer Service Agents, Reservation Agents, Flight Simulator Technicians and Plant Protection employees. The Machinists Union is currently organizing Delta Air Lines' Ramp Service, Customer Service, Reservation and Maintenance employees.

The Machinists Union is the largest Airline and Rail Union in North America, representing more than 170,000 Flight Attendants, Customer Service Agents, Reservation Agents, Ramp Service Personnel, Mechanics, Railroad Machinists and related transportation industry workers. Additional information about the Machinists Union is available at http://www.goiam.org/transportation.