Consumer Price Index vs. ASA Wages

[Lolikoka]

Fellow ASA pilots, and the larger regional pilot community.

With ever-increasing demands for my money for the mortgage, groceries, gas, clothes for the wife and kids, medical bills, etc, I decided to look at the Consumer Price Index/Inflation for the period 2000-2005. I went to http://InflationData.com/Inflation_Rate/Inflation.asp.

The Inflation rate was 3.38% in 2000; 2.83% for 2001; 1.59% for 2002; 2.27% for 2003; 2.68% for 2004, and 3.39% for 2005. That's an average inflation rate of 2.69% for the period 2000-2005.

The longevity-step increases in our wages annually for the period 2000-2005 average just over 1% per year.

OUR WAGES ARE NOT KEEPING UP WITH INFLATION. If we can't keep up with inflation, we can't improve our lives, put our children through college, or increase our standard of living. Fundamental fairness requires a wage that keeps up with inflation and the consumer price index - anything else is unconscionable and immoral. If you dont' agree, then you're an idiot.

It's time for action.

 

[Lolikoka]

Corrected Link

Here's the correct link for inflation data:

http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Rate/CurrentInflation.asp

 

[~~~^~~~]

Excellent point

 

[SPDBRD747400]

2.69 X 3(years) is ASA's 8% pay cut!!! I hate the FACT that our management is so short sighted!!! All they do is post record pax's & income and yet we can't even get a COLA allowance. The ATL G.O. should be ashamed! I'm tired of this crap!

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Ticket prices have also had an inverse relationship with both the CPI and GDP.

 

[atrdriver]

Ticket prices have also had an inverse relationship with both the CPI and GDP.

And that, of course, is the pilots fault.

 

[pilotyip]

Hey check out the "Industry Leader" thread by Camembert, Air France goes on strike every two years for industry leading wages, and the French gov't just taxes poeple more to cover the pilot's salaries

 

[Stifler's Mom]

And that, of course, is the pilots fault.

Definately our burden though.

 

[DirkkDiggler]

Hey check out the "Industry Leader" thread by Camembert, Air France goes on strike every two years for industry leading wages, and the French gov't just taxes poeple more to cover the pilot's salaries

Wow, what a novel idea. Read "Hard Landings" and you'll learn that the US airline industry did just that until deregulation.

 

[sweptback]

Wow, what a novel idea. Read "Hard Landings" and you'll learn that the US airline industry did just that until deregulation.

Except due to mutual aid, it didn't hurt the airlines at all. That's why they were so willing to take the strike... they got paid either way.

 

[pilotyip]

Dirk, However, under de-reg there are most likely 5-6 times as many pilot jobs as there was under regulation. So many people on this board are flying airplanes that would not be flying airplanes if the industry had stayed regulated.

 

[shamrock]

Bear with me here, I just spent most of the day in Alabama, but can someone explain to me how we are coming up with 1% for our longevity steps? I get a dollar and change bump every year which, based on my payrate, amounts to roughly 3% per year.

I'm not debating what we should be getting, just trying to understand where the 1% is coming from. Where am I going wrong?

 

[Lolikoka]

I'm not a math major, but...

I'm no math major - and this might not be quite right, but I took my current rate from the contract on the MEC page ($63.13/hour) and divided by last year's rate ($61.29/hour) and came up with - holy cow, it's three percent.

OK, I STAND CORRECTED. I still reserve the right to gripe because just keeping up with inflation doesn't allow me to put much aside for my kids' college education and retirement, and a down payment on a bigger house to keep the wife happy, or much else. And I'm going to gripe because I want to build a better future, and these wages don't allow for it.

Maybe I'll just go on a long military leave - business is good in Iraq.

 

[shamrock]

OK, I STAND CORRECTED. I still reserve the right to gripe because just keeping up with inflation doesn't allow me to put much aside for my kids' college education and retirement, and a down payment on a bigger house to keep the wife happy, or much else. And I'm going to gripe because I want to build a better future, and these wages don't allow for it.

Gripe on! I agree with you. I just wasn't sure if I was missing something.

 

[Tomct]

Yeah, and you would think that some of these "kool-aid" drinkers would be able to figure out this whole deal. You can't even increase your QOL! A lot of people should really be ticked off about this, I know that I am!
It is time for a GOOD Raise! If that means no growth, then so be it! It will come back to us eventually anyway!

Strike Vote YESSSSSS!!!!