~~~^~~~ said:
That is why we must have an effective union.
I'm not picking on you but here's a quote out of today's Chicago Tribune:
"Striking mechanics at Northwest Airlines appear to have lost their fight against the airline. The airline has replaced all of the 4,400 strikers, and none of the carrier's other unions honored the picket line."
strong or not, airline mgmt. have broken the code...and....no one sticks up for the common, blue collar, skilled worker like pilots.
It's not just in the airline industry either....it's not popular to stand up for the rights of the working person in this country when the ultimate goal is to bring lower prices to a consumer driven society like our own.
As long as we have resources, be it labor or imports, readily available to come to market, then we will have downward pressure on our wages. The current administration's agenda to allow foreign ownership of airlines beyond 49% will be the final nail in the coffin of 'our pilot unions' and industry.
Until the supply/demand curve shifts (many years away), we will continue to see real wages in this country decline. In Illinois alone, we are #2 in the nation for declining wages, it has been declining for 6 years straight, and we lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs in the past few years. This is an example to show you that 'it's not just airlines'....it's everywhere.
Good luck to us all and perhaps we now need the foresight to look into other job and career opportunities! Hell, you can buy a VLJ with a partner or in a timeshare and fly when you want for less than the cost of a single family home....can't wait til thousands of those planes take even more passengers away!!
(off my soapbox now)