News Article: Workers on the job, but making 1/2 as much

[Customx]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010058270_pay14.html

Some of the people that commented on the article believe that pilots should be paid as much as bus drives.

"Why should pilots get paid so much money? The argument that they hold so many lives in their hands could be used by bus drivers, truck drivers, train engineers too. Or maybe even teachers and cooks. Heck the big jets these days practically fly themselves."

 

[Inverted25]

I coment probaly made by someone ignorant of the cost of entry and requirments. You can't argue with idiots.

 

[jynxyjoe]

Bus drivers make more than regional pilots.

Pay me bus driver wages.

 

[Boris Badenov]

Which is why concentrating on some sort of appeal to the bovine masses is ridiculous. The Great Unwashed wouldn't care if you were chained in the cockpit and whipped to make the plane go, as long as they didn't have to look at it. Never underestimate the cupidity and cowardice of "The Average Joe". You get what you negotiate. Period.

 

[Alchemy]

Original Article From today's New York Times, which was, BTW, on the front page of the print edition today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/business/economy/14income.html?_r=1&ref=us

Personally it's not something I would've been willing to do, but apparantly his MEC had some involvement in setting the whole story up. You have to know that joe blow making $8/hr at starbucks is going to be unsympathetic that your $75k/yr salary got cut in half.

Also, there were some inaccuracies in the article due to the writer taking liberties. For instance, the whole "fellow pilot delaying a flight so he could make his commute" bit is inaccurate (who in the their right mind would admit to that even if it did happen).

 

[charlie1017]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010058270_pay14.html"Why should pilots get paid so much money? The argument that they hold so many lives in their hands could be used by bus drivers, truck drivers, train engineers too. Or maybe even teachers and cooks. Heck the big jets these days practically fly themselves."

Like flight 1549 flew itself to the water right? That's what they say until their airplane is about to become a smoking hole on the ground. Some people just don't realize that you can't pull over once in the air!
Raises the blood pressure...

 

[tonyw]

The Great Unwashed wouldn't care if you were chained in the cockpit and whipped to make the plane go, as long as they didn't have to look at it.

I disagree with you on only one part of this statement, the "as long as they didn't have to look at it" part.

If it saved them another buck, they'd be up in the cockpit with the whip.

 

[surreal1221]

Good piece, not great, but good. Glad the union took a part in making sure it could happen.

The plight he is enduring is not one that only occurs within the aviation industry. The middle class continues to get squeezed, and yet we continue to let it happen.