FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - America West pilots reject contract
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Old Dec 3, 2003, 9:06 pm
  #5  
steve64
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Programs: DL-Platinum / AS-PlatPro / Hyatt - Glob / Hilton-Diamond
Posts: 1,573
My dream since I was about 8 years old was to fly for a commercial airline. Years later with a BS in Aeronautical Science, a Commercial Pilot's Certificate/Single and Multi-engine Land and Certified Flight Instructor/Instruments in hand I was teaching folks to fly.

To make a long story short, the Air Traffic Controllers strike in 1981 lead to laid off American & Braniff pilots walking into our office to hand me their resume. I was hired as a replacement controller only to later be told I can't be a controller or a commercial pilot because of a hearing problem.

Technically, because of the hearing loss, the FAA will never let me act as Captain on an air carrier. I could serve as First Officer (most folks call this position "co-pilot") but no airline will hire a person who already, from day #1, can never become Captain.

I would gladly fly America West's aircraft at half the current going rate as evidenced by my acceptance of being restricted forever to the right seat.

No disrespect to the guys and gals who have made it to the very front of the plane. Long hours and away from home for days at a time (only to then be home for days at a time) . No hope for a major holiday off for the 1st half of your career. Regardless of what bid you were awarded, you never know where you'll be each night or when you'll be home. And the responsibility of knowing that 150+ lives are trusting themselves to you. Pilots aren't paid for the thousands of normal flights they make ... they're paid to handle the rare abnormalties.

After groaning about all the above, my pilot friends will tell me it's still the easiest job in the world. And in the next breath complain to me how the pilots at XYZ Airlines just got a raise above what they currently make; so the next contract negotiations will be total heck if their company doesn't match the offer.

I don't know the facts, but it wouldn't surprise me if America West's pilots are among the lowest paid in the industry. Yet it's the same pay structure in effect when each pilot accepted their job offer. They're currently being offerred an increase over the pay scale they accepted on hire date. That's much better the "big" carriers are offering pay cuts.

If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence; well this is the USA so GO FOR IT !!! Get those resumes out !!! Get a job at the carrier with pilots in furlogh and/or lowering the pay scale (whatever $$$ it is) to lower than what was accepted at employment or were subsequently granted.

Counterpoints:
1) I've heard (but don't know) that this contract proposal was rejected by only 5 votes.

2) I have some sympathy for airline employees who've agreed to pay cuts and/or want "industry pay" while the top executives are accepting millions of $$$ in retention bonuses. The same executives who have their hands out to the government asking for more $$$... claiming the industry's turmoil is due to Sept 11, 2001 ... even tho the industry with it's "leisure versus business fare" bsiness model was failing long before 9-11-01. In my personal opinion, the executives which are awarding themselves the retention bonuses are the same ones driving the dinosaur ...excuse me... the mainline carriers... into extinction (err... bankruptcy)

Steve
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