AvroJockey
Go Pack Go!
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2003
- Posts
- 432
Disclaimer:
This post has nothing to do with the skills (or lack thereof) of certain crewmembers that choose to utilize cookie cutter flight schools to advance their professional agendas (i.e. Gulfstream, PanAm, etc.).
There’s been one thing that’s bothered me about pilots with less than 1000 hours flight time being hired at regionals, and it has nothing to do with skills and experience (please read disclaimer above). It has everything to do with the economics of our profession, and this is one area, I feel, that ALPA has misrepresented.
Remember, I have nothing against the 300 hour pilot personally or professionally, and I’m sure most of them can fly the s#!t out of a CRJ.
From an economic standpoint, part of the union’s job is to either increase the demand of its skilled labor and/or change the supply of that labor in order to secure a higher equilibrium price (wage rate). Look at any Microeconomics book. The easiest way for ALPA to control this is to manipulate the supply, and the easiest way to do this is to restrict the quantity of qualified pilots with a narrower definition of “qualified.” ALPA should start an initiative to change language in amendable contracts that would prohibit, lets say, pilots with less than 1500 hrs of flight time from employment. This would economically decrease the supply, increase the demand for others in the workforce, and eventually lead to higher wage rates. I say eventually, because airline pilot wages rates high inflexible upward, and slightly inflexible downwards due to labor contracts.
Look, airline managements would put monkeys in the flight deck if the FAA let them, and if I was running an airline I would too! This is capitalism!!! We need to fight fire with fire, and apply the same principles to our product that airline management applies to theirs. One of the main reasons why it’s good to have a single union representing all of us is because it can act like a monopoly. The problem is ALPA is not taking advantage of its leverage on the market by implementing control over its product. This is particularly important now, because profits are exclusive to regionals. (With some exceptions) They must put an end to the hiring of low time pilots, for the longevity of a worthwhile profession.
The only reason pilots with this level of experience are getting hired is because they CAN! Given the right circumstances, I would do the same thing that many Gulfstreamers and PanAmers did. The problem is, most don’t know the real reason why this ruins our profession. Hell, it seams ALPA doesn’t even know!
This post has nothing to do with the skills (or lack thereof) of certain crewmembers that choose to utilize cookie cutter flight schools to advance their professional agendas (i.e. Gulfstream, PanAm, etc.).
There’s been one thing that’s bothered me about pilots with less than 1000 hours flight time being hired at regionals, and it has nothing to do with skills and experience (please read disclaimer above). It has everything to do with the economics of our profession, and this is one area, I feel, that ALPA has misrepresented.
Remember, I have nothing against the 300 hour pilot personally or professionally, and I’m sure most of them can fly the s#!t out of a CRJ.
From an economic standpoint, part of the union’s job is to either increase the demand of its skilled labor and/or change the supply of that labor in order to secure a higher equilibrium price (wage rate). Look at any Microeconomics book. The easiest way for ALPA to control this is to manipulate the supply, and the easiest way to do this is to restrict the quantity of qualified pilots with a narrower definition of “qualified.” ALPA should start an initiative to change language in amendable contracts that would prohibit, lets say, pilots with less than 1500 hrs of flight time from employment. This would economically decrease the supply, increase the demand for others in the workforce, and eventually lead to higher wage rates. I say eventually, because airline pilot wages rates high inflexible upward, and slightly inflexible downwards due to labor contracts.
Look, airline managements would put monkeys in the flight deck if the FAA let them, and if I was running an airline I would too! This is capitalism!!! We need to fight fire with fire, and apply the same principles to our product that airline management applies to theirs. One of the main reasons why it’s good to have a single union representing all of us is because it can act like a monopoly. The problem is ALPA is not taking advantage of its leverage on the market by implementing control over its product. This is particularly important now, because profits are exclusive to regionals. (With some exceptions) They must put an end to the hiring of low time pilots, for the longevity of a worthwhile profession.
The only reason pilots with this level of experience are getting hired is because they CAN! Given the right circumstances, I would do the same thing that many Gulfstreamers and PanAmers did. The problem is, most don’t know the real reason why this ruins our profession. Hell, it seams ALPA doesn’t even know!
