How low in wages would a pilot go?

[sabre]

Knowing the ground employees have bottomed out, I''m wondering where US AIRWYS would get the money from?
My guess is that pilots who continue to make about $200,000-$300,000 could be in agreement to make $100,000. I don''t believe it will happen because I doubt it would be permissible for ALPA to allow such a thing.
My guess is that most of our pilots would go down to that dreaded low 6 figure instead of closing this airline down. Just asking though.
There just aren''t Pilot jobs out there for a pilot if this company goes bottom up. On the other hand, I can always find a hire for a mechanic if that means autos. And the money isn''t much worse if not better.

 

[Mike]

I have been a Pilot here for 13.5 years. I am not making six figures.

 

[exjetgurl]

[P]Sabre -[/P]
[P]My guess is that pilots who continue to make about $200,000-$300,000 could be in agreement to make $100,000.[/P]
[P]The only pilots making the amount listed above are super senior Captains that fly the A330 and a few management pilots. Overall, there are less than 100 pilots making that amount. Most Captains since the paycut are making around $160,000 and First Officers around $120,000. Now, this varies greatly. My spouse (a former Captain now F/O) took a $80,000 paycut! We know of several management pilots that have taken $160,000 paycuts. What more can these guys give? Quite frankly (again this is my opinion) the pension fund should be limited. I.E. if the fund is only 70% funded retirees can only take out 70% - when the fund is fully funded they can get the owed amount. Fair is fair. This is a hot topic since approximately 70% of US Airways pilots are planning to retire within the next 10 years. Will there be anything left for the junior pukes? Given the current annuity, no. Again, my two cents.[/P]
[P] [/P]
[P] [/P]

 

[oldiebutgoody]

[blockquote]
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On 10/21/2002 4:07:02 PM sabre wrote:

Knowing the ground employees have bottomed out, I'm wondering where US AIRWYS would get the money from?

My guess is that pilots who continue to make about $200,000-$300,000 could be in agreement to make $100,000. I don't believe it will happen because I doubt it would be permissible for ALPA to allow such a thing....

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[/blockquote]
You, obviously, have NO CLUE what pilots make, or how hard they work to earn it. I don't know of ANY that make $300k, and doubt that there are any making 200k anymore. You really should stick to topics you have a clue about so that you don't sound as RIDICULOUS as you do here. If Dave comes back for more, we may just find out how bottomed out ground employees are.

 

[pitguy]

The mechanics voted by 57%. Not a wide margin. We are barely getting by now. No more room for more cuts even so I believe they would not pass. Time to wack management and higher paid employee groups. That is the only fat left on the steak.

 

[Bob Owens]

Why wouldnt ALPA agree to $100k pilots, they've agreed to far less than that at the Regionals. Could be thats why ALPA has been sued by its own members. It seems that some of the Regional pilots feel that ALPA uses them as a bargaining chip, kind of like sacrifical zinc. In order to prop up the few guys making $300K the many new guys work like dogs for $30k. Knock some off the top and spread it in between. The pilots need to level out their contracts.Right now its winner take all, if you are lucky enough to get hired at the right airline at the right time an enjoy good health then you hit the jackpot. If not you dont, but that $300k number will keep coming up as long as its in the contract, even if only one pilot actually sees it. What it does is make pilots extremely dependant, even more so than other employees on seniority which is not transferrable unless two ALPA represented carriers merge.The concept of one powerful craft union for pilots is lost because those at the top want it all at everyone elses expense-even other workgroups.
An $80k paycut. It would be impossible for most mechanics (and other workers) to take an $80k paycut. Will this paycut leave you at the grocers with food stamps in hand? Oh darn, may have to cancel the country club membership next year.

 

[flaptrack]

Getting By? On $65,000 a year? Come out here and try to duplicate that!

You may kill me now

 

[Bob Owens]

What more can these guys give?
Try asking a gate agent or a baggage handler. Let them eat cake!

 

[pitguy]

$65,000. You need to do research. I am topped out and make no where near that.

 

[sabre]

What I meant was why would US AIRWAYS pay a pilot big money when someone doing the same job at a regional makes between $15,000-$85,000.

I don't think it is out of the question for US AIRWAYS to suggest to ALPA for some helping out.

regardless, I have to believe if I'm making, let's say $130,000 for arguments sake then if the company comes back and says youeither take another 10% cut or we close the doors that a pilot has to take the cut. Otherwise he loses everything and will end up being the only employee at Walmart with a mercedez in the lot.

 

[exjetgurl]

[P]Bob Owens -[/P]
[P]I have an agent friend with 15 years in PIT, she was just laid off because she's part-time. If she was full-time she wouldn't have been laid off. Nevermind, she's had a request in for two years for full-time. Oh, how about the pilot that lives down the street that was furloughed, his wife had triplets, he's still unemployed. No Bob Owens US Airways has 13,000 employees who are bottomed out - they have paid the ultimate sacrafice and that sucks! Eat this.....[/P]

 

[Mike]

Otherwise he loses everything and will end up being the only employee at Walmart with a mercedez in the lot.
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Sabre, you crack me up. I drive a 1994 Geo Prizm. 132000 miles and going strong. Yes..I am a Pilot. You seem to have a warped view of what the average Pilot makes and drives around town.

 

[Bob Owens]

Mike;
Try 246,000 on a 1989 Honda that my cousin gave me because it blew so much smoke it would not pass inspection. I rebuilt the engine and have been driving it back and forth to work ever since (4 years now).Thats what a toped out mechanic drives.Last year I finally upgraded my wife from a 1987 Suburban to a 1995.Hoey, we're livin the high life now!Three more years and its all ours!

ExJet Girl;
What do you drive? My objection is that there were pilots here telling mechanics that they should accept pay cuts. Pilot pay varies a lot because thats the way they want it. Lots of pilots scrape buy so those at the top can get $300K a year. Its absurd. Really what difference does it make between flying a 727 or a 777? Personally I dont think that anyone should have accepted pay cuts. You said that your spouse took a 60% pay cut, well what does that leave him with? Does he still make six figures? Close? Do you make this same complaint to your laid off agent freind? Do you tell her how hard it is to live on what you have coming in? The fact is that as a mechanic I've felt that we have been giving concessions industry wide all along, and enough is enough. Asking them to accept pay cuts will involve real sacrifices where there is really not much to spare, the same goes for gate agents and baggage handlers who make even less. Mechanics will never make it back. I have a hard time listening to people who have been making six figures or more over a period of several years complaim about what they are giving back, sounds like Kenneth Lays wife We have lost a considerable portion of our wealth as well as she gives the reporters a tour of her mansion. I care what other mechanics make because it will effect what I make, thats the way it is. If pilots make $100k or $500k thats fine with me but a lot of pilots had a lot to say about mechanics taking paycuts. I was at a funtion on Sept 9 in Manhattan where I met some guy from the United ALPA MEC. After I introduced myself as a mechanic the first thing out of his mouth was that the USAIR mechanics had better accept pay cuts. He felt the same way about Uniteds mechanics. Basically I told him no way. He said You got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them I thought I just met Kenny Rodgers! I said that sometimes you just got to cut bait. I told him that there is no way that mechanics at any airline should accept pay cuts. That our skills outside of the industry pay more than in the industry and that the airlines have enjoyed a discount on mechanics labor for years, we could earn the same or better on the outside. Pilots could not. If the pilots want to save the company then they can take whatever cut is needed, when things get better they will still be ahead of the game if they return to top pay. As far as mechanics go, we dont expect to ever get near $300k a year, in good times or bad, but dont ever expect us to give back. Full pay till the last day!

 

[exjetgurl]

[P]Sabre -[/P]
[P]So, my spouse takes an almost 60% paycut and that's not enough? I wanna know what planet you are on? [/P]
[P]Everybody is an expert on what other people make. Okay, go sit in a cockpit and take the plane up for a spin, go open up an engine and do a tune up, try to evacuate a full aircraft in under 60 seconds, expertly type in the keystrokes to make a reservation - think you can handle it? Why concern yourself with what other people make? It's not taking from you personally. I just don't get it. That's the problem with this country: everybody thinks somebody is stealing from them if they make decent wages. Pay people what they are worth for crying out loud! Gee, we should be fighting to keep jobs, not wish them away. [/P]

 

[Busdrvr]

[blockquote]
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On 10/21/2002 809 PM Bob Owens wrote:

I told him that there is no way that mechanics at any airline should accept pay cuts. That our skills outside of the industry pay more than in the industry and that the airlines have enjoyed a discount on mechanics labor for years, we could earn the same or better on the outside. Pilots could not. If the pilots want to "save the company" then they can take whatever cut is needed, when things get better they will still be ahead of the game if they return to top pay. As far as mechanics go, we dont expect to ever get near $300k a year, in good times or bad, but dont ever expect us to give back. Full pay till the last day!
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[/blockquote]

Bob, do you work in the paint shop? Please PUT ON YOUR MASK!!