Guess What THAT Symbolizes?

More than 300 Delta Air Lines pilots marched near the airline's corporate headquarters in Atlanta Wednesday, even as there appeared to be progress in ongoing talks between the pilots union and company negotiators in New York.

To drive home their point that corporate greed is behind the airline's quest to toss out its existing contract with pilots, the Associated Press reports protestors also placed a 20-foot inflatable rat -- a recognized union symbol of unfair labor practices -- on a street corner near Delta's home offices, with a sign reading "bankruptcy profiteering" in front of its outstretched claws.

Meanwhile, spokesmen for Delta and the Air Line Pilots Association declined to comment on the down-to-the-wire  negotiations between the two parties, which are reportedly intensifying.

A federal arbitration panel has until Saturday to rule if Delta will be allowed to void the pilot contract in order to force pay cuts the carrier says is needed to escape bankruptcy. The arbitration panel is authorized to extend the deadline, however, if the sides appear close to an agreement.

Delta's pilots have authorized a strike anytime after April 17 should the airline be allowed to void the pilots' contract -- a move Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein said Tuesday would force Delta to close up shop if it went on for longer than 24 hours.

FMI: www.delta.com, www.alpa.org, Want An Inflatable Rat Of Your Own?