Allow me to give the perspective of a 30+ year DAL pilot regarding Ms. Escarra and her kindred mgmt types:
It's hard to know where to start. In previous posts, I've admonished the junior birdmen to get over what the mgmt people got and start worrying about what THEY, the pilots, were going to have in the end. I still say that, while perfectly understanding the uncontrollable outrage of it all. But, mgmt people have ALWAYS landed on their feet throughout the history of the airlines. It's a fact; get over it; you can't change/control it. Besides the amount of money these people got is chump change in the big picture. And, by the way, this is not the first time DAL mgmt has pulled this stunt, nor will it be the last.
Now to the real problem with these ill-timed golden parachutes: They show an utter, unmitigated contempt for, and arrogance toward, the employees in general. The BOD are not stupid ( no one gets to that position through stupidity ). The fault lies with the BOD since THEY are the ones who caused this to happen.
Think about it. If the people YOU worked for came and dumped a huge pot of $$$ on you, would you say, "Oh no, I just couldn't take it...it wouldn't be right" ?
The BOD knew the effect this would have on their worried, demoralized employees, but did it anyway. It is failure of leadership. A failure that began with Ron Allen and continues to this day with GG. Delta is now officialy just another airline.
Delta was "THE" airline to be with when I signed on. People actually loved and stood behind the company/mgmt. Sure, we had our little tiffs around contract time but it was just gamesmanship...not anything that indicated a deep-seated lack of trust between parties. Now, the entire pilot/mgmt relationship is characterized by mistrust. And, at the most life-altering, critical time in the company's history. If there has ever been a time when the pilots and mgmt needed to get real and trust each other for the benefit of all, someone please let me know. Even Ron Allen's Leadership 7.5 did not produce the critical atmosphere that exists now.
So, Escarra took her $$ and ran...another rat; same sinking ship. Delta has degenerated to the Management Du Jour like all the rest. That's not the critical issue ( although since her $$$ is protected, what does she have to lose ? ). The real danger is top management with utter, unmitigated contempt for the people upon whom they depend to carry out the workings of the company. The real danger is to the stockholders who've seen their investment become little more than a standby in case they run out of Charmin.
The BOD is the dark side. Escarra ? Who cares ?
P.S. I, also, took my $$$ and ran like a scalded-a$$ ape. You see, mine was NOT BK-proof like Vicki's. Bitter ? Nope, just overwhelmingly disappointed at being robbed of my last four years...the four years I signed on for 30+ years ago. But, as Ron Allen said, " So be it ".
