Yes my career has not hit the high notes to which you allude, there is an element of luck and timing in this career that play a role well beyond our ability to control. But as I approach the end of my career I have come to realize my sights are only low in others eyes. This country had been very good to me. I am very comfortable with my lot in life. I get great satisfaction from looking at the pilots I mentored and the friends I have made over the years. I am financially secure. I want for nothing. I am still married to my college sweetheart after 50 years. My kid and grand kids are successful. I am happy, what more it there in life?
BTW: As posted before I lived my childhood dream of being a Navy pilot, and that experience of a first tour junior officer in combat is something I would never trade for anything. If the tooth fairy came by and said I will guarantee you a career at DAL if you give up that experience as a Navy pilot, I would tell her pack sand.
You know, I think this is probably the best post you've ever put on FI! Very nice!! Can't say i disagree with anything in there. You'd probably be surprised that even with most of us "hardliner" union types who want to fight for something much better, we're still very content and happy in our personal lives. My daughters are healthy and happy, and my greatest joy is spending time with them and my beautiful bride. Work rarely comes up at home, and I stay focused on the most important things in my life, my family. My oldest daughter has decided she wants to be a runner like her dad, as well as enjoys going up for local flights with me. My youngest is expressing a strong interest on going flying with me too. Looking forward to being able to take my oldest to a local Father's Day Fly-In with me. We are comfortable, and lack for nothing.
However, all that being said, when fighting for a legacy-equivalent contract I am fighting for them! And the families of my coworkers. While we are comfortable and lack for nothing, it is getting harder and harder to maintain it every year. Inflation, low as it's been recently, has been constantly eating into my paychecks (which haven't gone up at all for five years now). Little by little we're having to cut back. It's a lot of small stuff that isn't noticeable by anyone but me, but eventually we're going to run out of small stuff and will start cutting into bigger things to keep ends meeting. We aren't living in a McMansion, or driving expensive cars, or taking elaborate vacations, or wearing designer clothes. Just living a nice comfortable middle class life, which is perfect. But unfortunately, it's going to take a greatly improved contract to be able to maintain it into the twilight years of my life.
Additionally, your post has cleared up a few things regarding things that have helped you live comfortably while making significantly lower wages than us. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm guessing you receive some sort of military pension? Never having served, i can't even begin to guess how much it is, but whatever it is I'm certain it's helped subsidize your lifestyle. Please keep in mind, I'm NOT saying you shouldn't have it. You earned it. Just pointing out that it's something a great many folks don't have, which would make the need to earn higher wages more important. And I'm guessing you also have government healthcare (it's Tricare or something similar?). So maybe not a huge concern for you if your company doesn't provide any, or make you pay a premium. Also, you mention you're near retirement. I'm guessing but that would make the solid middle years of your career happening at least 20 years ago. Given the wages you made during those years, how do you think it would pan out for you if you were starting out now, especially with a young family, and trying to live a decent middle class lifestyle on those same wages?
I'm thinking your perspective is skewed by what worked out well for you in your time. Just as 25 years from now, when my career is ending, some might laugh at me if I would say "You folks are paid plenty at $200K/year! What's the problem?". Especially if inflation picks up even a little, $200K isn't going to mean much in 25 years. And therein lies the problem with most folks who don't support us. So many people are still thinking in 1980's dollars. "Come on! $150K is A LOT of money!!". Uh, no it's not. Yes, it's more than most Americans make, but that doesn't change the fact that it's really not that much money. And while most don't make that, there's a huge number of dual income families now because dad (or mom's) $75K/year salary doesn't seem to maintain that great of a middle class lifestyle for a family of four.
And, quite frankly, given what we do and the sacrifices we make, I personally don't think we should just make middle of middle class wages. We should easily be maintaining upper middle class wages. I'm willing to fight for it.
