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scramjet · December 16th, 2007, 01:13

You've all made some very good points. Keep in mind, I'm not an airline pilot, but here's what I think having grown up around the weird, weird industry that is the airlines.

On the point of being professional, yes airline pilots do meet the common sociological definition of professional, mainly in the form of the certification processes (oh I hear the 90 day and $50k argument again, but there is still set relatively strict standards), theory not just work process knowledge, and the amount of responsibility pilots have for keeping a very high performance and complex mode of transportation safe. Does that mean pilots shouldn't act like blue collar labor? HELL NO, but I think it's important to break the feeling among the pilot community that we're glorified bus drivers. That's a weaker position to hold and should not be adopted across the community as it seemingly is becoming. The best labor tactics externally emphasize the true responsibility and professionalism of occupations without adopting internal defeatist attitudes.

As someone else said, "pilots need to grow some. We could shut down a significant portion of the transportation sector." As someone who was raised by a proudly Union father, I'm sorry but the attitude of "oh I can live on that" and "it will suffice" blah blah is disgusting. Capitalism is survival of the fittest. We as a labor group need to be fit. This means a union with balls, not taking #### pay just because we've got 300 ####ing hours and we can get in that nice shiny jet, but, again to quote someone else, "selling our professional services to the highest bidder." I mean, come on, airline executives receive more and more bonuses while the employees suffer pay cuts that were effected six to seven years ago in many cases. The spirit of the labor movement is action. Eight years ago, a mechanic could easily make six digits at a few major airlines. A flight attendant could do pretty well, too (as I don't have much personal knowledge of that field, I'm sure someone will better knowledge of F/A-ing will pipe in with a dissenting opinion). And we all know what a good pilot's salary was in the "glory days."

I sometimes wonder if this industry is really worth it. I love flying greatly, but it's changing so fast. I'm not liking a lot of the attitudes I'm hearing and seeing from low time RJ wonders and certainty am disturbed by airlines such as Skybus and the proto-scabs that work there.

December 16th, 2007, 01:13	#128
scramjet Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the sky Posts: 1,104	Re: Stating the obviously unbovious You've all made some very good points. Keep in mind, I'm not an airline pilot, but here's what I think having grown up around the weird, weird industry that is the airlines. On the point of being professional, yes airline pilots do meet the common sociological definition of professional, mainly in the form of the certification processes (oh I hear the 90 day and $50k argument again, but there is still set relatively strict standards), theory not just work process knowledge, and the amount of responsibility pilots have for keeping a very high performance and complex mode of transportation safe. Does that mean pilots shouldn't act like blue collar labor? HELL NO, but I think it's important to break the feeling among the pilot community that we're glorified bus drivers. That's a weaker position to hold and should not be adopted across the community as it seemingly is becoming. The best labor tactics externally emphasize the true responsibility and professionalism of occupations without adopting internal defeatist attitudes. As someone else said, "pilots need to grow some. We could shut down a significant portion of the transportation sector." As someone who was raised by a proudly Union father, I'm sorry but the attitude of "oh I can live on that" and "it will suffice" blah blah is disgusting. Capitalism is survival of the fittest. We as a labor group need to be fit. This means a union with balls, not taking #### pay just because we've got 300 ####ing hours and we can get in that nice shiny jet, but, again to quote someone else, "selling our professional services to the highest bidder." I mean, come on, airline executives receive more and more bonuses while the employees suffer pay cuts that were effected six to seven years ago in many cases. The spirit of the labor movement is action. Eight years ago, a mechanic could easily make six digits at a few major airlines. A flight attendant could do pretty well, too (as I don't have much personal knowledge of that field, I'm sure someone will better knowledge of F/A-ing will pipe in with a dissenting opinion). And we all know what a good pilot's salary was in the "glory days." I sometimes wonder if this industry is really worth it. I love flying greatly, but it's changing so fast. I'm not liking a lot of the attitudes I'm hearing and seeing from low time RJ wonders and certainty am disturbed by airlines such as Skybus and the proto-scabs that work there.