Hope it happens

Northwest Airlines pilots have given their union leader authority to conduct a strike ballot if there is no progress in negotiations over wage and benefit cuts the airline is seeking, the union head told a New York bankruptcy court Friday.
 
Why would someone ever wish for a strike? Wouldn't you rather wish that the pilots get what they want so they don't have to strike?
 
True, I do not wish for a strike, but do you think that pilots are going to get what they want with out it. We NEED to do it.

This industry stinks, Mesaba pay cuts etc! What a joke.
 
I wish for a strike! Paying a pilot $10,000 a year is strike worthy, and so insulting that the guys that offered it to the pilots need to feel the wrath of knowing that through their own misguided and insulting actions they lead the company to come to a grinding halt and face the possibility of destruction with the whole company suffering.

All because someone decided that pilots couldn't be paid above the poverty line.
 
buffalopilot said:
We NEED to do it.
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Are you an NWA pilot?

If so, best of luck to you all. Thanks for drawing a line in the (quick) sand. The rest of the pilot profession appreciates the potential sacrifices that you are contemplating.

If you are not NWA line, be cautious about advocating others to fall on their sword(s) when you don't have anything on the line personally. It can be misconstrued. :)
 
Chris_Ford said:
Why would someone ever wish for a strike? Wouldn't you rather wish that the pilots get what they want so they don't have to strike?
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I think what buffalopilot is assuming is that Northwest management will not give the employees what they want. He's past that point and assuming the pilots will either have to give in or strike. He is correct; Northwest management will not give the pilots what they want.
 
John Herreshoff said:
I wish for a strike! Paying a pilot $10,000 a year is strike worthy, and so insulting that the guys that offered it to the pilots need to feel the wrath of knowing that through their own misguided and insulting actions they lead the company to come to a grinding halt and face the possibility of destruction with the whole company suffering.

All because someone decided that pilots couldn't be paid above the poverty line.
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How easy it is to say that when it isn't your job thats on strike. Remember that a $10k a year pilot makes $10k a year more than a pilot on strike!
 
I am not a NWA pilot, nor an airline pilot. But i feel that the line needs to be drawn by guys like me who are just about to start airline flying. If guys like me are unwilling to take jobs for 10000 dollars a year, the pay will rise. I do not have SJS nor will I take a job for nothing, thus the reason I am sitting back in my old career to see what happends.
 
John Herreshoff said:
All because someone decided that pilots couldn't be paid above the poverty line.
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Actually that decision is in pilots' hands. If too-few take poverty level wages, the wage level will have to rise. If the airlines can fill the seats at those ridiculously low wages, then there is absolutely no incentive for management to offer higher pay scales, is there?

Management is trying to find the current "market value" for pilots. I'm not real hopeful that we'll like the answer.
 
buffalopilot said:
I am not a NWA pilot, nor an airline pilot. But i feel that the line needs to be drawn by guys like me who are just about to start airline flying. If guys like me are unwilling to take jobs for 10000 dollars a year, the pay will rise. I do not have SJS nor will I take a job for nothing, thus the reason I am sitting back in my old career to see what happends.
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Good for you. I agree that the up-and-comers have the (collective) ability to control their own wages, unfortunately most don't realize what is required to do so.

Not the same thing as urging others to sacrifice for your benefit, though, is it?

:)
 
Its for everyones benefit, the guys at NWA, DAL etc. It will not just benefit the up and comers but everyone. Pretty soon, corporate is going to say "HUmm" lets get these 250 hour guys in our planes as a FO for $10000.
 
buffalopilot said:
Its for everyones benefit, the guys at NWA, DAL etc. It will not just benefit the up and comers but everyone. Pretty soon, corporate is going to say "HUmm" lets get these 250 hour guys in our planes as a FO for $10000.
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I love how you guys are mad at management rather than fellow pilots. [cue the scab comments... but read on first] Management has found a wage in which the supply will meet (or exceed) their demand. It's just business, WalMart doesn't pay employees more than the lowest they'll work for. We (the pilot community) have been Wal Mart-isized. As many have said, as long as pilots are willing to accept these wages, then management will pay their employees that much. It'd be good to see NWA step up to the bat for all of us, but that needs to be reinforced at the regional level. Of course, that won't happen without the FAA stepping in and requiring 135 mins to be part of a 121 crew (which I advocate, and I've only got 500TT).
 
Chris_Ford said:
It'd be good to see NWA step up to the bat for all of us, but that needs to be reinforced at the regional level. Of course, that won't happen without the FAA stepping in and requiring 135 mins to be part of a 121 crew.
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I don't see how changing the minimums for a part 121 FO to 135 minimums would change pilot pay.

All it would do is postpone the hiring of the same pilots that were applying a year or two prior back when they had several hundred hours. It might improve safety but I do not know how pilot pay would change.
 
Nick said:
I don't see how changing the minimums for a part 121 FO to 135 minimums would change pilot pay.

All it would do is postpone the hiring of the same pilots that were applying a year or two prior back when they had several hundred hours. It might improve safety but I do not know how pilot pay would change.
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It would prevent airlines from lowering the minimums to find pilots who will do whatever it takes to get to an airline.
 
Chris_Ford said:
It would prevent airlines from lowering the minimums to find pilots who will do whatever it takes to get to an airline.
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Yes, it would prevent airlines from lowering the minimums.

No, it would not result in the applicants having a higher standard simply because they have more hours at the time they apply. In fact, since they might have in some cases spent more time instructing or flying traffic or whatever other flying job they had, they are now more eager to move on and get to the next level and could possibly be more willing to take a pay cut to do it.
 
Nick said:
No, it would not result in the applicants having a higher standard simply because they have more hours at the time they apply. In fact, since they might have in some cases spent more time instructing or flying traffic or whatever other flying job they had, they are now more eager to move on and get to the next level and could possibly be more willing to take a pay cut to do it.
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It would presumably stop the regionals from being a "entry-level job" where the higher time requirement would ultimately result in older applicants, who in turn, are more likely to have more financial responsibility (homes, wives, children, etc)
 
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