100LL... Again!
youwantapieceofme??
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2002
- Posts
- 1,533
It is extremely gratifying to watch the inevitable occur.
While the destruction of the profession is a tragic thing, it is at least a fair amount the outcome of pilot's own greed and arrogance, rather than only the effect of incompetent management.
We have attempted to use the blunt instrument of union contracts as the sole tool to protect our profession. There were many other avenues that could have been used: PR, educating CFIs, educating student pilots, education the public, finding ways to make ourselves indespensible to the company instead of an expensive pain in the a$$, etc.
We have failed to evolve. Time was once that people looked up to our profession, and believed that we were someting special.
We have rested on our laurels too long.
A union contract and an overinflated sense of self will go only so far in winning hearts and minds. It works about as well as a gun does in that regard.
Our unstated message has been thus:
1. All union pilots are equally valuable, and anything short of outright negligence or recklessness is not really our fault, but should be attributed to improper training, fatigue, or management's failings. The worker is always the victim.
2. The left seat is to be awarded in seniority order, and the addition compensation as well, without regard for the individual's contribution to the company's success or efforts to go above and beyond the call of duty.
3. No matter how much you pay, it will never be enough.
4. When we find a contractual loophole that benefits the pilots, you will accept that as our contractual rights.
5. When the company finds and uses a contractual loophole, it is a direct attempt to undermine the intent of the contract, and will be seen as management being directly hostile to the pilot group.
6. Any mistake by a pilot is to be cheerfully forgiven by management.
7. Any mistake by management is a result of unbelievable incompetence.
8. Gains in pay or work rules made by the pilot group is a just and righteous thing, in that we are getting closer to a truly fair contract.
9. The company is not allowed to see gains by the pilots as concessions for itself. The company had it coming.
10. When profits are increasing, it is the result of the excellent job labor has done. Therefore the pilots are entitled to a bigger share of the profits.
11. When the company is losing money, it is the result of managerial incomptetence, so why should the pilots be expected to pay for that?
12. The company will respect us because we simply deserve it, because we are pilots. They can never understand the difficulties of our job. They can never understand how indispensible we are. They will never question our motivations, intentions, or actions. Because they are not pilots, who are special beyond all possible form or measure. We alone will determine our value, and any attempts to dispute our assessment will be seen as a hostile act against our profession and pilot group.
I defy anyone to explain how this is not the view of a large majority of professional pilots.
The most satisfying thing to me is to see that the reality of the situation is being forced - kicking and screaming, albeit - onto those in our profession.
The warning signs have been there for a long time. It is not likely that very many in our ranks will see and acknowledge why the profession has fallen.
The denial will overpower the desire for truth as it usually does, but maybe the next generation of pilots after us will understand what happened.
The final chapter of "Flying the Line" will be about the self-destruction of the profession, rather than peril from outside forces.
While the destruction of the profession is a tragic thing, it is at least a fair amount the outcome of pilot's own greed and arrogance, rather than only the effect of incompetent management.
We have attempted to use the blunt instrument of union contracts as the sole tool to protect our profession. There were many other avenues that could have been used: PR, educating CFIs, educating student pilots, education the public, finding ways to make ourselves indespensible to the company instead of an expensive pain in the a$$, etc.
We have failed to evolve. Time was once that people looked up to our profession, and believed that we were someting special.
We have rested on our laurels too long.
A union contract and an overinflated sense of self will go only so far in winning hearts and minds. It works about as well as a gun does in that regard.
Our unstated message has been thus:
1. All union pilots are equally valuable, and anything short of outright negligence or recklessness is not really our fault, but should be attributed to improper training, fatigue, or management's failings. The worker is always the victim.
2. The left seat is to be awarded in seniority order, and the addition compensation as well, without regard for the individual's contribution to the company's success or efforts to go above and beyond the call of duty.
3. No matter how much you pay, it will never be enough.
4. When we find a contractual loophole that benefits the pilots, you will accept that as our contractual rights.
5. When the company finds and uses a contractual loophole, it is a direct attempt to undermine the intent of the contract, and will be seen as management being directly hostile to the pilot group.
6. Any mistake by a pilot is to be cheerfully forgiven by management.
7. Any mistake by management is a result of unbelievable incompetence.
8. Gains in pay or work rules made by the pilot group is a just and righteous thing, in that we are getting closer to a truly fair contract.
9. The company is not allowed to see gains by the pilots as concessions for itself. The company had it coming.
10. When profits are increasing, it is the result of the excellent job labor has done. Therefore the pilots are entitled to a bigger share of the profits.
11. When the company is losing money, it is the result of managerial incomptetence, so why should the pilots be expected to pay for that?
12. The company will respect us because we simply deserve it, because we are pilots. They can never understand the difficulties of our job. They can never understand how indispensible we are. They will never question our motivations, intentions, or actions. Because they are not pilots, who are special beyond all possible form or measure. We alone will determine our value, and any attempts to dispute our assessment will be seen as a hostile act against our profession and pilot group.
I defy anyone to explain how this is not the view of a large majority of professional pilots.
The most satisfying thing to me is to see that the reality of the situation is being forced - kicking and screaming, albeit - onto those in our profession.
The warning signs have been there for a long time. It is not likely that very many in our ranks will see and acknowledge why the profession has fallen.
The denial will overpower the desire for truth as it usually does, but maybe the next generation of pilots after us will understand what happened.
The final chapter of "Flying the Line" will be about the self-destruction of the profession, rather than peril from outside forces.
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