jetbluedog
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2003
- Posts
- 176
Some things never change........I'm glad I got out 10 years ago and have a REAL career now.
For some Mesaba pilots, one job doesn't pay the bills
01/07/2004
MINNEAPOLIS - Mesaba Airlines pilot Ian Barrett has two on-time arrivals to worry about - his flight from Thunder Bay, Ontario to the Twin Cities, and the start of his shift as a waiter at the Napa Valley Grille.
On one December morning, Barrett rose at 5 a.m. and flew a Saab turboprop and its passengers to the Twin Cities. After a brief stop at his home in Inver Grove Heights, he drove to the Mall of America to wait on tables. He left at about 4:30 p.m., spent a few hours with his son, then donned his navy blue pilot uniform and headed back to the airport to fly an evening trip to Thunder Bay.
Barrett, 27, doesn't know when he will step off of this two-job treadmill, where he earns $31,000 a year flying and $12,000 as a waiter. He and many other Mesaba pilots work second jobs, dashing the notion that all pilots live comfortably on six-figure salaries.
The issue might come to a head Friday night, as Mesaba pilots prepare to strike over salaries, job security and retirement benefits. The latest round of negotiations began Monday.
Eagan-based Mesaba, which provides regional service for Northwest Airlines, has been negotiating a contract with the pilots union since June 2001. About 65 percent of Mesaba's pilots earn $30,000 to $57,000 a year, according to the Mesaba unit of the Air Line Pilots Association.
"I only make $400 a week after taxes at Mesaba," Barrett said. "That's supposed to cover everything - living expenses, day care, food and a car payment. It doesn't. I have to work here (at the restaurant). I have no choice."
Many Mesaba pilots interviewed say they love aviation, so they've chosen to stay with Mesaba and work second jobs to cover their living expenses. As the son of an Air Force pilot, Barrett was drawn to airplanes as a child.
And there is the allure of flying itself. "I love seeing the aurora borealis, the sunsets and the sunrises" while piloting a plane, Barrett said. "It's not your typical office job."
Before the pilots opened contract talks in 2001, a union survey showed that about 17 percent of Mesaba pilots held second jobs, said Kris Pierson, a union spokesman.
Pierson, 28, is among the pilots who juggle two jobs. Although he holds a four-year degree in airway science and has been a Saab first officer since May 2000, Pierson often can be found working answering the 24-hour U.S. Bank help line between 2:30 p.m. and 1 a.m.
He makes $13,500 a year at the bank working 80 hours a month. In 2003, he earned $34,000 as a full-time pilot.
Pierson estimates that the portion of Mesaba pilots now working second jobs has grown to 25 percent to 30 percent.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks caused massive layoffs in the airline industry, more of Mesaba's 844 pilots pursued a second income because they wanted some financial security. More recently, the likelihood of a pilots strike prompted those with captains' seniority to find second jobs, Pierson said.
Matt Doehling, a farm boy from Winthrop, said uncertain contract negotiations led him to start Doehling Lawn and Landscape Service in April to supplement his income.
Doehling is a first officer or co-pilot on Saab turboprops and his gross income averages about $30,000 a year. After mowing lawns and doing landscaping work last summer, Doehling now is plowing snow for businesses and homeowners.
"I've been able to just about match dollar for dollar during the summer what I was making with Mesaba," Doehling said. He and his wife, Jessica, live in Shakopee. She works in human resources for a health care company.
Mesaba spokesman Dave Jackson declined to comment on the practice of pilots working second jobs.
"Pilot performance is excellent," Jackson said. "Our goal is to negotiate a fair agreement for the pilots that allows the company to survive and grow long-term."
Barrett and others are ready to strike to win a contract that mirrors agreements at other regional airlines. "I'll be walking a picket line," he said.
Barrett added, "I have many college buddies who work for Comair and Atlantic Coast and Air Wisconsin and they don't have to work two jobs to survive."
For some Mesaba pilots, one job doesn't pay the bills
01/07/2004
MINNEAPOLIS - Mesaba Airlines pilot Ian Barrett has two on-time arrivals to worry about - his flight from Thunder Bay, Ontario to the Twin Cities, and the start of his shift as a waiter at the Napa Valley Grille.
On one December morning, Barrett rose at 5 a.m. and flew a Saab turboprop and its passengers to the Twin Cities. After a brief stop at his home in Inver Grove Heights, he drove to the Mall of America to wait on tables. He left at about 4:30 p.m., spent a few hours with his son, then donned his navy blue pilot uniform and headed back to the airport to fly an evening trip to Thunder Bay.
Barrett, 27, doesn't know when he will step off of this two-job treadmill, where he earns $31,000 a year flying and $12,000 as a waiter. He and many other Mesaba pilots work second jobs, dashing the notion that all pilots live comfortably on six-figure salaries.
The issue might come to a head Friday night, as Mesaba pilots prepare to strike over salaries, job security and retirement benefits. The latest round of negotiations began Monday.
Eagan-based Mesaba, which provides regional service for Northwest Airlines, has been negotiating a contract with the pilots union since June 2001. About 65 percent of Mesaba's pilots earn $30,000 to $57,000 a year, according to the Mesaba unit of the Air Line Pilots Association.
"I only make $400 a week after taxes at Mesaba," Barrett said. "That's supposed to cover everything - living expenses, day care, food and a car payment. It doesn't. I have to work here (at the restaurant). I have no choice."
Many Mesaba pilots interviewed say they love aviation, so they've chosen to stay with Mesaba and work second jobs to cover their living expenses. As the son of an Air Force pilot, Barrett was drawn to airplanes as a child.
And there is the allure of flying itself. "I love seeing the aurora borealis, the sunsets and the sunrises" while piloting a plane, Barrett said. "It's not your typical office job."
Before the pilots opened contract talks in 2001, a union survey showed that about 17 percent of Mesaba pilots held second jobs, said Kris Pierson, a union spokesman.
Pierson, 28, is among the pilots who juggle two jobs. Although he holds a four-year degree in airway science and has been a Saab first officer since May 2000, Pierson often can be found working answering the 24-hour U.S. Bank help line between 2:30 p.m. and 1 a.m.
He makes $13,500 a year at the bank working 80 hours a month. In 2003, he earned $34,000 as a full-time pilot.
Pierson estimates that the portion of Mesaba pilots now working second jobs has grown to 25 percent to 30 percent.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks caused massive layoffs in the airline industry, more of Mesaba's 844 pilots pursued a second income because they wanted some financial security. More recently, the likelihood of a pilots strike prompted those with captains' seniority to find second jobs, Pierson said.
Matt Doehling, a farm boy from Winthrop, said uncertain contract negotiations led him to start Doehling Lawn and Landscape Service in April to supplement his income.
Doehling is a first officer or co-pilot on Saab turboprops and his gross income averages about $30,000 a year. After mowing lawns and doing landscaping work last summer, Doehling now is plowing snow for businesses and homeowners.
"I've been able to just about match dollar for dollar during the summer what I was making with Mesaba," Doehling said. He and his wife, Jessica, live in Shakopee. She works in human resources for a health care company.
Mesaba spokesman Dave Jackson declined to comment on the practice of pilots working second jobs.
"Pilot performance is excellent," Jackson said. "Our goal is to negotiate a fair agreement for the pilots that allows the company to survive and grow long-term."
Barrett and others are ready to strike to win a contract that mirrors agreements at other regional airlines. "I'll be walking a picket line," he said.
Barrett added, "I have many college buddies who work for Comair and Atlantic Coast and Air Wisconsin and they don't have to work two jobs to survive."
