Ode to a scab

[SWPA Pilot]

If you have never read this, it is worth reading. It is on the cover of the scab list of Eastern pilots from the 1989 strike. It is pretty harsh.

Ode to a scab

After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, He had some awful substance left with which He made a SCAB. A SCAB is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a water-logged brain, and a combination backbone made of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotton principles.

When a SCAB comes down the street, men turn their backs and angles weep in Heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out. No man has a right to SCAB as long as there is a pool of water deep enough to drown his body in, or a rope long enough to hang his carcass with. Judas Iscariot was a gentleman compared with a SCAB. For betraying his Master, he had the character enough to hang himself. A SCAB HASN'T!

Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. Judas Iscariot sold his Savior for thirty pieces of silver. Benedict Arnold sold his country for a promise of a commission in the British Army. The modern strike-breaker sells his birthright, his country, his wife, his children and his fellow-men for an unfulfilled promise from his employer, trust or corporation.

Jack London, 1915

 

[ForgedBlade]

somebody meant "...angels weep in Heaven..."

 

[Dinger]

That pretty much sums it up!

 

[Buckaroo]

If you have never read this, it is worth reading. It is on the cover of the scab list of Eastern pilots from the 1989 strike. It is pretty harsh.

Ode to a scab

After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, He had some awful substance left with which He made a SCAB. A SCAB is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a water-logged brain, and a combination backbone made of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotton principles.

When a SCAB comes down the street, men turn their backs and angles weep in Heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out. No man has a right to SCAB as long as there is a pool of water deep enough to drown his body in, or a rope long enough to hang his carcass with. Judas Iscariot was a gentleman compared with a SCAB. For betraying his Master, he had the character enough to hang himself. A SCAB HASN'T!

Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. Judas Iscariot sold his Savior for thirty pieces of silver. Benedict Arnold sold his country for a promise of a commission in the British Army. The modern strike-breaker sells his birthright, his country, his wife, his children and his fellow-men for an unfulfilled promise from his employer, trust or corporation.

Jack London, 1915

Spoken like a true Union goon.

 

[PCL_128]

Spoken like a true Union goon.

Spoken like someone that it describes.

 

[h25b]

Spoken like a true Union goon.

My thoughts exactly ...

Not that I agree with crossing a picket line, but getting heaven and hell somehow involved with labor relations and collective bargaining is taking things a bit far. Somehow I don't think a "Hoffa 'esk" attitude is what is going to save our profession.

 

[Dinger]

IT'S NOT ABOUT LABOR RELATIONS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.....IT'S ABOUT SOLIDARITY AS A PILOT GROUP. If you are picketing, obviously the labor relations and collective bargaining didn't do squat.

We try and stick together to get a fair shake in this industry but some selfish, spineless lizards undermine it. It allows management to take advantage of us. The strength of a pilot group is only as strong as its weakest link.

How many times have you "seen" on this board people complaining about pilots willing to fly jets for darn near free, all the while they complain about the industry wages taking a nose dive because of it. It is a somewhat similar situation.

As long as there a SCABS and people willing to whore themselves out as a professional pilot flying 70 seaters for 24k/year we will never, ever, ever have any true strength at the table.

Unfortuneatley, there will always be the ones willing to sell out the profession..........it is here to stay, that is why our jobs don't have the "shine" to them that they used to.

So, off to work I go.

 

[billjohnson321]

it is not a similar situation,not even close.by the way what are these aspiring new pilots supposed to do? just continue to flight instruct until the 1st year pay at a regional is 50 grand.the pay at regionals has always sucked and always will,solidarity or not.a scab and someone working for low wages are not similar.it is quite amusing how everyone seems to forget where they came from.how much was the pay at your first flying job?if you are not happy,just get a job with fed ex or ups they are hiring and i hear the pay is pretty good.

 

[elcid]

With all due respect, what is anyone suppose to do to get into the majors then? The way I see it there are basically three types of pilots in the majors. They have each chosen their particular route for their own individual reasons and situations.

1) First there are the Military pilots who (for the most part) flew fixed wing fighters/bombers, etc. and were able to get the PIC time and quals to go directly to a major. Good on them for making it all happen. It's not easy and it's not given to them. I'd say it's similar to earning a scholarship to a good college and maintaining the strict requirements to keep it. You don't pay all of the monetary costs, but you sure as heck have to earn it and work hard to hang on to it.

2) Then there are the civilians who flight instruct, fly charter, move up to a regional and eventually with any luck get their break too. Good on them. I don't know if I have it in me to go into major debt for a slim chance at the majors, but they've worked hard. They've earned it if they make it to the top. It's a hard road for sure no matter what your feelings are about what it does to the industry.

3) Finally there are the old guys who had incredible timing, luck, and skill and quals to move quickly though the wickets and get a great job with a pension and great pay. Sure, things have gone down hill since then. But the ones who have made it through it all are still relatively fortunate.

So which route is the right one. Which one is blessed? Out of these three options (which are the only options for most of us) what is an aspiring airline pilot to do? And oh by the way, how can we have "solidarity as a pilot group" if the guys at the top aren't fighting for better wages for the guys at the bottom and vice versa? When we pit the different groups against each other like that management wins and we all lose.

 

[elcid]

PS. Just want to clarify that I'm NOT condoning the self serving disloyal actions of "SCABS"

 

[billjohnson321]

i agree,all these guys are always railing on guys willing to work for "nothing"but you have to to get started, i know i did.

 

[h25b]

IT'S NOT ABOUT LABOR RELATIONS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.....IT'S ABOUT SOLIDARITY AS A PILOT GROUP. If you are picketing, obviously the labor relations and collective bargaining didn't do squat.

We try and stick together to get a fair shake in this industry but some selfish, spineless lizards undermine it. It allows management to take advantage of us. The strength of a pilot group is only as strong as its weakest link.

How many times have you "seen" on this board people complaining about pilots willing to fly jets for darn near free, all the while they complain about the industry wages taking a nose dive because of it. It is a somewhat similar situation.

As long as there a SCABS and people willing to whore themselves out as a professional pilot flying 70 seaters for 24k/year we will never, ever, ever have any true strength at the table.

Unfortuneatley, there will always be the ones willing to sell out the profession..........it is here to stay, that is why our jobs don't have the "shine" to them that they used to.

So, off to work I go.

Um... Lets keep things real please.

The "as long as there a SCABS and people willing to whore themselves out as a professional pilot flying 70 seaters for 24k/year" line particularly grinds my gear. I think that you need reminded that if it weren't for the mainline unions trading away regional jet flying to the connection/regional's we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. For that we have ALPA to thank. I said this years ago when Comair was getting their first RJ's. Jet flying should have been mainline flying, PERIOD.

They used this as a bargaining chip for something else they thought was more important to them at the time and their short-sightedness basically hosed us all. Now people like you want to come along and bash these kids for doing what every other upcoming pilot has done in the past, go to work at a regional. The salary they fly for (24k/yr.) is pretty much the same as it was (adjusted for inflation) when this whole mess first started. It's not their fault that the mainline union goofs gave them the RJ's to fly. This essentially shifted the burden of getting a fair wage for flying them to the regional unions, who by the way had the added problem of being represented by the same people (ALPA) who were busy doing other brilliant moves. ALPA (and other mainline carriers) just sent them the scraps that at one point they were too good to fly.

And here we are now... All you Johny-come-lately's come along and bash the regional pilots for what should have been prevented had the unions done their jobs to begin with. So please sir, spare me.

 

[Mr Hat]

H25b,
You must be a carpenter because you totally nailed that one! RJ's should be at mainline carriers, ALPA's mainline MEC's dropped the ball on that one.

 

[Superbird]

I know that I havent forgotten where I've come from...but the pay now isn't much more than it was 'where I come from'. It's definitely NOT what the brochure said.

What is the 'future' of aviation? Is there a bottom to the payscale? Are the Airlines destined to operate like the Cruise ship business, with the aircraft registered in Iberia and crewed by the cheapest foreign labor possible? Staffed by one meagerly paid third world Captain and F.O.? If the erosion of pay/benefits doesn't stop, this is where we are headed.

There are many more professions out there that pay better, so I ponder, why would one of my kids ever aspire to be an "Airline" pilot? Its definitely not the pay.

RJ's. I hear a lot of excitement "we are getting 12 RJ's a month", or "we fly our RJ from XYZ to CUN/SJU/etc." That is not necessarily a good thing. The more RJ's flying around means LESS seats for you at a Major. Is a pilots goal to be trapped in an RJ job forever making 80K-100K? Most guys wont leave at that point anyway, to start a a major for 35K.

It is my belief the the RJ's should be in-house, and as a new hire you would start on the RJ, Dash, ATR, etc. and not have to be "rehired" at the bottom of another list, unless of course you choose to do so. Working your way from RJ F.O. to 777 Captain for one company.

Later.

 

[IB6 UB9]

h25b;

A superb post. I now go into the bathroom and stand in front of the mirror. I practice my smile while I plagarize your post as my next response to the inevitable flack I sometimes get while jumpseating. The flack normally ceases when I flash my ALPA card that says furloughed on it, but I like your response better. Well said.

 

[SWPA Pilot]

[/QUOTE]Not that I agree with crossing a picket line, but getting heaven and hell somehow involved with labor relations and collective bargaining is taking things a bit far.

When I first saw the Ode to a SCAB, I also thought that it was a bit extreme to include the Heaven and Hell points of view, but I think the author was expressing the fact that a SCAB deserves no respect. NONE! A scab is a worthless, spinless being who cares only about himself. He is basically a thief who is accepting personal gain at the cost of others who deserve it. I repeat, HE DESERVES NO RESPECT!

A young guy who is busting his a$$ as a flight instructor, commuter pilot or charter pilot for low wages in the hope of making a major deserves respect. He/she is working hard at each rung of the ladder hoping to make it to the top. The SCAB has found a way to climb the ladder while skipping steps others who have pride and respect in themselves must take.

Wages as flight instructors, charter pilots and commuter pilots will always be lower than the majors, but that doesn't mean that these pilots shouldn't fight for every nickle they can get.

 

[h25b]

When I first saw the Ode to a SCAB, I also thought that it was a bit extreme to include the Heaven and Hell points of view, but I think the author was expressing the fact that a SCAB deserves no respect. NONE! A scab is a worthless, spinless being who cares only about himself. He is basically a thief who is accepting personal gain at the cost of others who deserve it. I repeat, HE DESERVES NO RESPECT!

A young guy who is busting his a$$ as a flight instructor, commuter pilot or charter pilot for low wages in the hope of making a major deserves respect. He/she is working hard at each rung of the ladder hoping to make it to the top. The SCAB has found a way to climb the ladder while skipping steps others who have pride and respect in themselves must take.

Wages as flight instructors, charter pilots and commuter pilots will always be lower than the majors, but that doesn't mean that these pilots shouldn't fight for every nickle they can get.

I don't disagree with that at all... I just get really p*ssed when all of these idiots come along and start bashing the regional guys for flying RJ's and suggesting that they are bringing down the profession. They didn't get us in to this mess, ALPA did. Care to try and imagine where we would be now had they refused to allow jet flying by the regionals ??? Food for thought.

 

[Dinger]

Well............I agree. In re-reading my post, I see that I was way off base regarding the low pay RJ jobs. I guess I could try and wittingly write my way out of this one, but I just don't have the energy or time.

So I go before "the board" and repent. I have duly noted that rambling on and tying unrelated topics together on issues won't get you invited to any flightinfo Christmas parties.

Hey, well gotta go. The timer just went off, time for a nice Crow sandwich with a big ol' slice of humble pie.

Apologies to all offended.