The Delta Board Council represents the non-

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

employees of

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

to the company's

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

management and the board of directors. The council was formed in 1996, and currently comprises one representative from each of Delta's major employee operating units: Airport

Customer Service Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services. Each industry requires different levels of customer service, but in the end, the idea of a well-performed service is that ...

, Inflight Service, Management and Administrative employees, Reservation

Sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in ...

, and Technical Operations. The DBC is tasked with holding employee meetings at every level below corporate director to gauge feedback and disseminate information. It then meets with the company's officer corp and board of directors, usually in private session, to present the gathered feedback, thus allowing a clear line of communication "from the break room to the board room". In unprecedented fashion at a non-

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

carrier, on a rotating basis, one DBC member is allowed access to all board meetings and has historically presented information on topics of interest to the board. Moreover, the DBC member in the board room attends the Audit Committee functions of the board. While the DBC works usually behind the scenes with Delta's leadership and the board, it played a critical and visible role in Delta's rejection of US Airways'

hostile takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to t ...

attempt initiated by CEO Doug Parker on November 15, 2006. Within hours of the bid, the board council began working on a counterattack and its members were credited with coining the "Keep Delta My Delta!" slogan that quickly permeated the entire

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

via buttons, wrist bands,

lanyard A lanyard is a cord, length of webbing, or strap that may serve any of various functions, which include a means of attachment, restraint, retrieval, and activation and deactivation. A lanyard is also a piece of rigging used to secure or lowe ...

s, pens, and window clings. That

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, s ...

was also adopted by Delta in the creation of the

Website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wi ...

keepdeltamydelta.org, which presented a wide array of arguments in opposition to Airways' proposal. On November 17, 2006, two days after US Airways announced its intention to buy Delta Air Lines, the board council published an

open letter An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter addressed to an indiv ...

to all Delta employees first unveiling the Keep Delta My Delta! theme. The eruption of support for Keep Delta My Delta! soon migrated to loyal customers, who added the aforementioned memo to such Websites as flyertalk.com and themselves began requesting Keep Delta My Delta! items. On December 13, 2006, the DBC and Delta

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

representatives organized a Keep Delta My Delta!

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...

at the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

International Convention Center. Estimates suggest the crowd numbered between 3,000 and 4,500 employees,

retiree A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...

s, and community supporters. Among the speakers were Georgia state and local politicians, Delta pilots, and the Delta Board Council. It is considered by Delta employees to be the turning point in terms of

labor relations Labor relations is a field of study that can have different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. In an international context, it is a subfield of labor history that studies the human relations with regard to work in its broadest ...

, as Mr. Parker's offer to buy Delta resulted in a unified workforce in opposition to the takeover bid that according to Delta employees eliminated divisional friction and, most important, festered animosity among ground employees and Delta's pilots. Ultimately, despite initial skepticism from analysts, the campaign to Keep Delta My Delta! presented a labor obstacle that added to the already-uncertain regulatory and operational challenges that could not be overcome. On January 31, 2007, US Airways withdrew its offer to buy Delta Air Lines.

References

{{Delta Air Lines Labor relations organizations Organizations established in 1996 Delta Air Lines