davetheflyer
New Member
This was ripped off the ALPA board. Before that, it was ripped off the Eagle board. I don't vouch for the numbers, but I thought that it was interesting enough to pass along.
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This was posted on the Eagle board, and I am posting this for all those mainline guys who think the regionals aren't so bad. If your not careful, mainline pay could endup like the regionals so the company can be "competitive". Please stop the bleeding...merge all regionals into the mainline and save our (yes - yours and mine) careers. It will take time and it might hurt a little, but it will pay off in the long run.
Would it be news if Eagle hired Kobe Briant? Maybe we should hire the guy in left field at the Cubs/Marlins game, that would be news. Then we could show 'em.
While I know we're not the big deal when the company is finally making money and the attention is being diverted to the new warm and fuzzy management style of Arpey, we need to do something to make us visible. What can we do to get our blip on the radar screen?
Perhaps a press release where the Airline Pilots Association supports the striking union brothers and sisters of the Retail Clerks Union in California that are either striking or have been locked out of the large grocery supermarket chains.
Then we hit them with the truth that a full time cashier at a major grocery store makes a minimum of $26/hr(with a 40 hour week), gets over $40/hour on weekends and up to $56/hour on holidays, pays nothing for full family health, vision and dental insurance, and has a fully funded retirement/pension program. That's $1040/week without weekend or holiday over-rides.
Then we point out that the pilot flying your aircraft today had an 8 1/2 hour rest period last night after a 15 hour duty day, gets paid about the same $26/hour but it's based on a 17 hour week, pays over $225 a month for health insurance that covers maybe 80% after deductibles and has no retirement. That's $442 a week minus $56 for insurance, $57 for insurance deductibles, (not to mention the lost income for retirement) for a net of $329/week.
Let's review the highlights, shall we?
Grocery clerk (No medical, no check rides, no reduced rest overnights away from home, no security lines or checks)
$1040 a week PLUS benefits and retirement...
Airline Pilot (Medical every 6 months paid by the pilot, check rides, reduced rest overnights away from home, take off your shoes every day you're at work to get through security)
$442 a week MINUS benefits... for a net of $329 a week or less without retirement.
That's $598 a week more to stand at a bar-code scanner and swipe frozen vegetables than an union Airline Pilot makes flying in weather, working around added security caused by terrorists and dealing with passengers. Not to mention the disparity of training costs...
$598 a week is $31,096 a year, or more than that Eagle First Officer makes.
And the company wants to increase medical costs borne by the pilot?
There's your story, and that is news.
Where's Michael Moore when you need him?
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This was posted on the Eagle board, and I am posting this for all those mainline guys who think the regionals aren't so bad. If your not careful, mainline pay could endup like the regionals so the company can be "competitive". Please stop the bleeding...merge all regionals into the mainline and save our (yes - yours and mine) careers. It will take time and it might hurt a little, but it will pay off in the long run.
Would it be news if Eagle hired Kobe Briant? Maybe we should hire the guy in left field at the Cubs/Marlins game, that would be news. Then we could show 'em.
While I know we're not the big deal when the company is finally making money and the attention is being diverted to the new warm and fuzzy management style of Arpey, we need to do something to make us visible. What can we do to get our blip on the radar screen?
Perhaps a press release where the Airline Pilots Association supports the striking union brothers and sisters of the Retail Clerks Union in California that are either striking or have been locked out of the large grocery supermarket chains.
Then we hit them with the truth that a full time cashier at a major grocery store makes a minimum of $26/hr(with a 40 hour week), gets over $40/hour on weekends and up to $56/hour on holidays, pays nothing for full family health, vision and dental insurance, and has a fully funded retirement/pension program. That's $1040/week without weekend or holiday over-rides.
Then we point out that the pilot flying your aircraft today had an 8 1/2 hour rest period last night after a 15 hour duty day, gets paid about the same $26/hour but it's based on a 17 hour week, pays over $225 a month for health insurance that covers maybe 80% after deductibles and has no retirement. That's $442 a week minus $56 for insurance, $57 for insurance deductibles, (not to mention the lost income for retirement) for a net of $329/week.
Let's review the highlights, shall we?
Grocery clerk (No medical, no check rides, no reduced rest overnights away from home, no security lines or checks)
$1040 a week PLUS benefits and retirement...
Airline Pilot (Medical every 6 months paid by the pilot, check rides, reduced rest overnights away from home, take off your shoes every day you're at work to get through security)
$442 a week MINUS benefits... for a net of $329 a week or less without retirement.
That's $598 a week more to stand at a bar-code scanner and swipe frozen vegetables than an union Airline Pilot makes flying in weather, working around added security caused by terrorists and dealing with passengers. Not to mention the disparity of training costs...
$598 a week is $31,096 a year, or more than that Eagle First Officer makes.
And the company wants to increase medical costs borne by the pilot?
There's your story, and that is news.
Where's Michael Moore when you need him?