Delta Airlines 2003 Annual Report Download - page 15

Table of Contents
Employee Matters
Railway Labor Act. Our relations with labor unions in the United States are governed by the Railway Labor Act. Under the Railway Labor Act, a labor
union seeking to represent an unrepresented craft or class of employees is required to file with the National Mediation Board ("NMB") an application alleging
a representation dispute, along with authorization cards signed by at least 35% of the employees in that craft or class. The NMB then investigates the dispute
and, if it finds the labor union has obtained a sufficient number of authorization cards, conducts an election to determine whether to certify the labor union as
the collective bargaining representative of that craft or class. Under the NMB's usual rules, a labor union will be certified as the representative of the
employees in a craft or class only if more than 50% of those employees vote for union representation.
Under the Railway Labor Act, a collective bargaining agreement between an airline and a labor union does not expire, but instead becomes amendable as
of a stated date. Either party may request the NMB to appoint a federal mediator to participate in the negotiations for a new or amended agreement. If no
agreement is reached in mediation, the NMB may determine, at any time, that an impasse exists and offer binding arbitration. If either party rejects binding
arbitration, a 30-day "cooling off" period begins. At the end of this 30-day period, the parties may engage in "self help," unless the President of the United
States appoints a Presidential Emergency Board ("PEB") to investigate and report on the dispute. The appointment of a PEB maintains the "status quo" for an
additional 60 days. If the parties do not reach agreement during this period, the parties may then engage in "self help." "Self help" includes, among other
things, a strike by the union or the imposition of proposed changes to the collective bargaining agreement by the airline. Congress and the President have the
authority to prevent "self help" by enacting legislation which, among other things, imposes a settlement on the parties.
Collective Bargaining. At December 31, 2003, we had a total of approximately 70,600 full-time equivalent employees. Approximately 18% of these
employees are represented by unions. The following table presents certain information concerning the union representation of our domestic employees.
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