Way to go Delta and NWA pilots!!!

[Splinter]

Other unions are not handcuffed by the RLA....thats why ALPA can't shut down the entire industry in one big swoop without many people going to jail and ALPA losing all it's money in the largest law suit in American history. The RLA is what makes our unions different from other unions.

Wow! Someone who doesn't speak from his backside!

He is absolutely correct. There will not be a Master Contract in this business because of the construct in which our industry operates. Collectively, we as pilots know as much about our industry as does management, and that is why we are all working for bankrupt carriers. We need good ol' airline people running airlines, not CEO's from Burger King and AT&T looking for a challenge. The way you boost your company's value is not bare bones operating and NEVER thinking about the effect on stock price...take care of your 1) employees, and then 2) customers, and THAT will 3) boost stock value.

 

[freightdogfred]

Maybe some of the NWA and DAL pilots have friends who went down with EAL and Pam Am. They found themselves going from $125/yr as an airline pilot, to begging for a job as a bread truck driver at $35K/yr working 6 days a week 12-14 hours a day. Talk about QOL. They found outside of aviation no one cares that you were an airline pilot. The reality of the real world may be moving them into the compromise role. The UAL guys went through it and most came out whole on the other side. Of course this is a pilot fantasy board that does not deal with reality. The reality is $125K/yr for flying an airplane is a good job. Ask your friends and neighbors outside of aviation what they think of a $125K/yr. According to stats I have seen $125K puts you in the upper 5% of income producers in the country. Yea cojones has a great macho ring to it, but the reality is it like putting bullet in your head. Standing by for bashing and screaming.

It is the boot-licking mentality such as this is why mgmt. is steam rolling over pilot groups. Mr PilotYip, who goes home each night has obviously forgotten what it's like to spend holidays away from home, miss birthdays, family functions etc. THE REALITY is most guys stick it out in this miserable business in hopes that the carrot at the end of the stick will be obtainable one day, i.e. the high paying airline job. THE REALITY is guys at regionals and feeders don't make near 100K a year, and only Captains at Legacys and LCC's make close to your 125K a year. You and your boyz flying your clapped-out diezel-9's and falcons outta dirt city(YIP) might be in it for the love of aluminum, but the rest of us do it for dough. You know why Cathay Pacific has so few nationals applying, and hires almost all Ex-Pats? Because all their applicants pull out an abacus during the interview, crunch the lifetime salary numbers, and then get up and walk out. THE REALITY is you need to get out and fly some trips over the holidays, stay in a few dirt bag hotels I'm sure your company puts it's crews in, and eat out of a few vending machines, non-sked style. Being CP and all, I'm sure you can find a trip for yourself over the Thanksgiving holiday. Do this, and then come back to preach your drivel. Better yet, get the "Tank Commander" to jerk your gear and the two of you can bash the whiny pilots during the trip.

 

[Tank Commander]

total electrical failure at night in a jet? How about rapid decompression? Smoke in the cabin at 410? There are pilots on this board who've had to shut down a motor in the tracks, perform an offset, driftdown and diversion into Iceland or The Azores, all in the non-radar, RVSM, MN PS environment, running the checklist and being responsible for their own seperation from hundreds of potential midairs.

Every situation you described is covered in a procedure that you were trained to preform. Life and death decision infers to keep one or just do away with it. You are not deciding weather you and your passengers should live and die. You are responding to and emergency the best you can to live.
Dieing is not considered an option. If you f-it-up it could become one. If a bus driver does not respond to a tire blowout on the interstate correctly it could be an option also. The way you talk about "life and Death Decisions" is a slap in the face to any Soldier, Marine, police officer, or even one of your fellow pilots that in the time of war had to drop ordinance from an A/C with civilians in the area and has to live with it. YOU ARE NOT MAKING A DECISION, YOU ARE TRING NOT TO LET THE SITUATION MAKE IT FOR YOU!
You my brother need to learn. Life is bigger. Maybe spending so much time in this industry is not such a good thing.

Jim, my respect for you is rapidly waning with comments such as this.

Todd, You are young. When you get older, and have lived a little we can talk.

 

[Spooky 1]

Hate to say it but some of the worst pilots I have known cloaked themselves in under the banner of safety experts. Most Air Force Wing Safety officers were the guys who were never going any place further in their careers. i.e, no Wing Comander slots, no Squadron Comander slots, just somplace to keep them busy and out of serious trouble. Unfortunely you sound like one of these types.

 

[Tank Commander]

Stop. you are going to hurt my feelings

 

[pilotyip]

dogfred, yes I am home most nights, I am in the office about 25 days per month, many days are 11 hours with no lunch break. I am on call 24/7 to answer DA-20 ops problems. I still get tagged to fly a trip once in a while, the best part of job. I will compare myself to a USA Jet DC-9 pilot. 13 days off per month, home about 25 days per month. There are good parts on both sides. If you envy my poistion come over to the dark side and become part of the team that makes your job possible.

 

[wrxpilot]

I am halfway finished with my MBA at GA Tech and the average starting pay for graduates without experience, such as myself, is about 110k. The average student in the program has over eight years of experience in corporate America with an average income of 135k. I never said that making over 100k does not put one in the top 5%. You said that 125k is a lot of money and I just stated that I disagree. It is all about expectations and those with more education have higher expectations than those with less.

Sounds great, let's see some evidence of that payscale and placement rate. I know engineers that have their PEs and an MBA that aren't making anywhere close to $135k.

 

[wrxpilot]

Wrong again. Michigan is 131k. Check out www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/compensation.asp


Why don't you post the article from the ann arbor paper! Noone from a reputable mba program starts at 50k.

Thanks, I wish you would've provided that link sooner. The acceptance rate is low, but I agree those are some impressive median salaries. I believe there's more to this though. I wonder what the experience of these people are, etc. Probably not many w/ fresh degrees and little experience.

 

[ACAFool]

I have been out of the loop for a week, so excuse my ignorance on here. I thought NWA pilots voted to pass a ta. If so why are does this article say they are threatning strike as well as Delta?

 

[ExAF]

Strike Still a Possibility

NWA is threatening to strike if the company tries this NEWCO thing and outsources the 70-100 seat flying from mainline (among other things). The TA was to buy time (60 days) to try to do better on workrules and scope and come to a mutually agreed upon contract. If the company tries to impose a contract that is not mutually agreed upon, a strike is still a very real possibility. Only 63% voted for the TA (I still can't believe that many morons voted yes). You can already put the 36% that voted against the TA in the STRIKE column if there is a strike vote. It won't take too many more to approve a strike if it comes down to it.

 

[LJDRVR]

Hate to say it but some of the worst pilots I have known cloaked themselves in under the banner of safety experts. Most Air Force Wing Safety officers were the guys who were never going any place further in their careers. i.e, no Wing Comander slots, no Squadron Comander slots, just somplace to keep them busy and out of serious trouble. Unfortunely you sound like one of these types.

You're confusing a SSgt who seperated so he could devote himself full-time to flying with some staff O-5 who prefers an office to the cockpit.

Since when did I cloak myself in the guise of some safety expert? I do some consulting on the side for money. I'm not even remotely any sort of an expert, (Read that idiot) but I am clever enough to know who the 50 pound brains are, and am good enough at applying their work to safety systems and education, that I manage to do a little business on the side.

I flew 86 hours last month. Is that good enough for you, or would you feel better if I changed my profile to read FO?

 

[Spooky 1]

You're confusing a SSgt who seperated so he could devote himself full-time to flying with some staff O-5 who prefers an office to the cockpit.

Since when did I cloak myself in the guise of some safety expert? I do some consulting on the side for money. I'm not even remotely any sort of an expert, (Read that idiot) but I am clever enough to know who the 50 pound brains are, and am good enough at applying their work to safety systems and education, that I manage to do a little business on the side.

I flew 86 hours last month. Is that good enough for you, or would you feel better if I changed my profile to read FO?

I failed to notice your enlisted staus. My sincerest apologies.

 

[tripacer]

As a profession we have certainly slid way back on our wages, It has to stop.....at some point...........

Then stop it! Get together with all the captains in your domicile and march on Duane Woerthless' DC office and ask for his help, or his head.

You're a captain, ACT LIKE ONE !

 

[CRJDog]

"smaller jets flown by pilots who would be paid much less than Northwest ALPA pilots."

Flown by pilots that are paid much less but also ALPA pilots.

Like I have mentioned before the only way anyone will listen is for ALL to walk off the job one day and say "enough is enough." Of course there is no unity nor balls in this so called union to make anything like this happen. So we just have to bend over as usual.

"Then stop it! Get together with all the captains in your domicile and march on Duane Woerthless' DC office and ask for his help, or his head."

I prefer his head.