Delta shareholders prepare vote; machinists prepare protest ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - There will be support and opposition in College Park Thursday afternoon to creating the world's largest airline.

Inside the Georgia International Convention Center, Delta shareholders are expected to approve the proposed merger with Northwest. Outside the building, union machinists supporting Northwest employees will protest.

With high fuel prices and uncertainty on the stock market, Delta shareholders will probably say yes to the merger. That's according to merger expert Dan Kolber.

KOLBER: Usually the vote is predetermined because institutional investors, the large holders, would have already indicated which way they're going to vote. So, most likely the votes are already in and it's a done deal.

However, the union representing ramp workers and other machinists will try to change shareholders' minds.

The union representing more than 12 thousand Northwest workers says some employees will lose their jobs if the airlines merge.
Delta's machinists, which include more than 6 thousand ramp workers, are not unionized.

Northwest shareholders vote early Thursday morning. © Copyright 2012, WABE