your_dreamguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2002
- Posts
- 246
The other day, I was talking to a friend and the topic of my pay came up. I told him, I make $38 per hour and he said wow!! You see, my friend works as an engineer in the real world. So, he thinks my $38 per hour translates into $76000 per yr as it would if I worked as an engineer, architect, etc. That got me thinking as to my real pay. My $38 per hour translates into about $19 per hour. How?
There are plenty of things that I am required to do but DO NOT get paid for.
I am required to:
Read company information letters,
check company email,
update my company material such as Jepp charts,
perform a pre-flight walk-around,
program an FMS,
get ATIS,
get a clearance,
program weight and balance,
read checklists,
take long scheduling sits, on the order of 3 to 4 hours.
etc.
without getting paid.
Now, I accepted this when I first got hired. However, that has never stopped me from thinking as to how our situation got this way. In other words, how were pilots convinced to perform required tasks and not get paid for them? Who were the original pilots that accepted that just brake release to brake set was considered work? How is it that this work has not been negotiated as pay by our unions? If my airline does not want to pay me $38 per hour to read a checklist, how about at least $10 per hour,"ground time?" I cannot think of too many other professions or industries where the employees are not paid for tasks that they are REQUIRED to perform. Can you? Also, in the future, can we (airline pilots) negotiate this required work as pay into our future contracts?
Your two cents?
There are plenty of things that I am required to do but DO NOT get paid for.
I am required to:
Read company information letters,
check company email,
update my company material such as Jepp charts,
perform a pre-flight walk-around,
program an FMS,
get ATIS,
get a clearance,
program weight and balance,
read checklists,
take long scheduling sits, on the order of 3 to 4 hours.
etc.
without getting paid.
Now, I accepted this when I first got hired. However, that has never stopped me from thinking as to how our situation got this way. In other words, how were pilots convinced to perform required tasks and not get paid for them? Who were the original pilots that accepted that just brake release to brake set was considered work? How is it that this work has not been negotiated as pay by our unions? If my airline does not want to pay me $38 per hour to read a checklist, how about at least $10 per hour,"ground time?" I cannot think of too many other professions or industries where the employees are not paid for tasks that they are REQUIRED to perform. Can you? Also, in the future, can we (airline pilots) negotiate this required work as pay into our future contracts?
Your two cents?