Regional Pilots, Poverty Wages or No?

[jynxyjoe]

Blessing would not fit the context of the sentence. I wrote "people can add kids/debt"

I agree entirely. The way you phrased the sentence could only lead you to conclude you are referring to the "kids" part in a negative context. Kid's and debt together, alike in nature. Just observing not passing judgment.

If that's how you feel about kids that's fine. I guess as I get older I'm just more and more surprised by the sentiment. Personally I'd rather a family man/woman to work with, I just get along better with their mentality. The youthful, energetic, profession seeking attitudes are draining for me, mostly because I can't keep up with the drinking.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Trip7 is just dealing with reality. The fact is, kids cost money. You may consider it to be worth the expense, but they're still an expense, and you need to calculate them into your budget if you intend to work in this industry. Trying to feed a family of 4 on a regional FO's salary is not exactly easy.

 

[jynxyjoe]

Trip7 is just dealing with reality. The fact is, kids cost money. You may consider it to be worth the expense, but they're still an expense, and you need to calculate them into your budget if you intend to work in this industry. Trying to feed a family of 4 on a regional FO's salary is not exactly easy.

I think you mean every industry. Flying isn't THAT special an industry. Planning for children is important in every industry, and I guess we are in la-la land where every pregnacy is planned, then the point serves as nothing more than reinforcement that kids are just a paycheck drain. Anyhow, intentional or not, it's always a little eye opening for me.

I'd add, trying to feed a family of 5 on a ramper's salary is even more depressing, but I watch guys do it. I don't look down on them for it.

I get scared anytime someone says that if you have kids, or plan on having kids, you should stay out of Blank. What kind of mentality is that? Not one I believe in anyway.

(I don't really want any debate on the topic, it just leads to questions like... At what economic threashold do we decide it's ok to have kids?)

The whole premise is deeply flawed I feel. Trip7 is dealing with facts and life priorities, true, I'm just surprised where kids and family rank on that one. Obviously I'm the only one here.

 

[Bandit_Driver]

Re: Amerijet On Strike!

I was just trying to put an end to one of the largest fallacies out there.

It does us no good in the trade unionism side of the house if we are telling people lies (IBT press release), then they find out the truth, and then we lose their support.

I'm not asking you to change your mind about the pay being great. That's not my point. My point is it's best that you not spread a fallacy that seems to be a regular statement for many members around here.

Pay isn't great, but pay is not below the poverty level for "so many regionals" as you stated. How was I to know you were speaking figuratively when all you provided was one sentence in response to a quoted statement. To me it seemed like you had already ran the numbers, knew the federal poverty level for the lower 48, AK, and HI, and that you knew which regionals were below those respective levels. I didn't know that so many regional pilots were below the poverty level so I figured I'd check it out while I waited for you to tell me which ones were. Turns out, not many. 1 out of 25 at 2 person family levels, and then 6 out of 3 person family levels - out of 25.



All of this, and he isn't even a member of any pilot union.

Surreal, what is your point here? I have been part of union and not part of one and in my personal experiences the union was only good at one thing, taking my money. I do find it an odd coincidence that I have had better working conditions, pay, and benefits being non-union than when I had when I was a member of Teamsters. If you ever want a history lesson on 264 and 747 let me know. The only union I would consider joining would be ALPA, or one of the in house pilot unions. So far our owners have been relatively good. We have had a few issues that wouldn't have occurred with a contract and I may not like it but I knew I was going into a non-union shop when I hired in and it was my free choice to do so. Overall, I am happy being non-union at this point.

I could have stayed with teamsters and lose my seniority, make crap money, and have a crap schedule and base or change jobs and go non-union, make 3x the money, live in base, get 12-20 days off a month, have superior and cheaper health care plan, and go from flying 900 hrs a year to 300 and most importantly my wife was able to quit her job and stay at home with the kids. Not really a hard choice to make.

 

[MikeD]

How was I to know you were speaking figuratively when all you provided was one sentence in response to a quoted statement. To me it seemed like you had already ran the numbers, knew the federal poverty level for the lower 48, AK, and HI, and that you knew which regionals were below those respective levels. I didn't know that so many regional pilots were below the poverty level so I figured I'd check it out while I waited for you to tell me which ones were.

While I'm no mind reader, I think what he (Trip7) is simply saying is that the individual decisions we each make are our own. Because one has a child or a spouse, doesn't mean that they can ignore the realities of the income levels for our profession.

OK, so you're no mind reader with Trip7, but can deduce what he's trying to say with a statement.

Yet I'm to have run an entire research firm of evidence prior to one opinion statement? You couldn't make out what I was "simply saying"?

C'mon now. You guys need a SERIOUS "lighten up Francis" moment here. I'm a guy giving an opinion on a message board, not a ALPA union officer making an official statement or contention of fact. If someone is going to make their decisions on what the pay of regional pilots is like based on one small opinion sentence I wrote, I can't help that.

 

[Inverted25]

Since we are adding kids to the equation why not the the spouse income too. The days of single parent working are gone. I think both should work. If the wife makes even the same low salaray as the husband they are in much better shape.

 

[Bandit_Driver]

Since we are adding kids to the equation why not the the spouse income too. The days of single parent working are gone. I think both should work. If the wife makes even the same low salaray as the husband they are in much better shape.

Why should both work? Mine doesn't and stays at home and raises the little ones. I am very fortunate that I am paid well enough to allow her to stay home with the kids. It is a choice we made and feel is right for our family.

If both are making horrible wages they may or may not be in better shape. After taxes a lot of the wife's take home pay would be going out the door to child care expenses. In my area they avg 600-700 a month for one child.

 

[Roger, Roger]

Re: Amerijet On Strike!

A brand new Kia Rio at $12,190 costs 230 dollars a month @ 5 percent.

why are you buying a brand-new car with borrowed money on first-year FO pay?

Let's add in a cheap ghetto economy apartment at $500 a month if your lucky.

My apt is only slightly more than this, and is neither ghetto nor economy.

$50,000 loan for college and training at 10% over 20 years = 480 Dollars a month.

This was a known. Can't swing the payments on your salary? Nobody to blame but yourself when you borrowed the money and took the job.

$120 a month in Gas for your Car

For a Kia Rio? Really?

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Re: Amerijet On Strike!

My apt is only slightly more than this, and is neither ghetto nor economy.

Depends on where you live. My apartment in FLL 10 years ago, before the prices shot up, was over $600/mo, and that truly was the ghetto. Some locales are not cheap.

 

[meyers9163]

So I just had ate a taco for lunch......

 

[Roger, Roger]

Re: Amerijet On Strike!

Depends on where you live. My apartment in FLL 10 years ago, before the prices shot up, was over $600/mo, and that truly was the ghetto. Some locales are not cheap.

Right, but when you went to work for your current carrier (or PCL back in the day), you had an idea where you might be based, and if not living in base, where you wanted to live, yes? And you were able to rough out the rent cost and see if it was affordable, no?

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Re: Amerijet On Strike!

Right, but when you went to work for your current carrier (or PCL back in the day), you had an idea where you might be based, and if not living in base, where you wanted to live, yes? And you were able to rough out the rent cost and see if it was affordable, no?

Of course.

 

[Trip7]

I'm at $550 a month for a plush upscale condo on the north side of one of the best cities in America. Have a roommate of course.

 

[meyers9163]

I'm at $550 a month for a plush upscale condo on the north side of one of the best cities in America. Have a roommate of course.

BEST CITIES? hahaha Oh Marcus we go back to what are you smoking! Watch out for that urine test on your next flight

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Very few places I'd rather live.

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

I like kittens.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Personally I'd rather a family man/woman to work with, I just get along better with their mentality. The youthful, energetic, profession seeking attitudes are draining for me, mostly because I can't keep up with the drinking.

Agreed. They are also much more likely to have something to talk about other than work.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

I like kittens.

Me too, they're delicious

 

[subpilot]

Re: Amerijet On Strike!

I know I am late to this plus slightly off topic but I thought Horizon only had 11 pay periods (something like a 35 day month) so the actual annual garantee would only be 80hrs x $29 x 11months = $25,520.

 

[Trip7]

BEST CITIES? hahaha Oh Marcus we go back to what are you smoking! Watch out for that urine test on your next flight

What I'm smoking? ATL is undoubtedly one of the best cities to live in the USA. Why do you think most of the pro athletes retire here or at least have a property here? They don't call it the Hollywood of the south for no reason