[ElyJs]

Thanks for the replies...I am interested in learning more about the unions and how legislature effects their bargaining power. Does anyone have any links to any primary sources?

Collective bargaining and unions really depend upon the group thinking as a whole. To be effective unions need to look at things with a more socialist point of view. We as Americans, myself included think about ourselves first. This is the way we were raised. Our democratic country was founded on individualism and democracy.

Thank god for unions otherwise the airlines would pay the pilots the minimum amount that would attract just enough pilots to fly the exact number of airplanes they fly. I really need to pull up a few of the graphs to help explain this visually to the people who fly a 90+ passenger airplanes for pennies. They of course are going to pay just enough to get warm bodies in the seats. This is what the economic model tells them to do. Of course with a few adjustments thrown in factoring how many planes would crash because of incompetence. People can bitch and moan all they want but a for-profit company is not going to operate any other way. It would be inefficient.

I see your point of size and bargaining power being a moot point if legislature give management all of the power. I just think it would be cynical to think that there is nothing we can do as pilots to change they way things work. Without at least a few people that feel they can make a difference then the above scenario will come true and international captains will be making 50 large a year. I don't want to enter an industry where everyone is hopeless.

I am learning quickly and again I appreciate all the replies, I am a CFI that has not yet entered the 121 world, but it will be soon I hope.

From a few other industries we studied in school (cruise ships for example), do you think that if there were ever enough foreign pilots qualified that our jobs would be completely outsourced? I mean if there were legions of trained foreigners willing to work for half the pay are we all out of jobs? Obviously right now training in the US is the cheapest, but in 15-20 years that could change. Maybe a little far fetched, because the airline industry is special and unique in a lot of ways but if you looked at straight spreadsheets this is probably what would happen. Unfortunately management makes decisions using spreadsheets almost exclusively.