par8head

Still on the Job, but at Half the Pay - Readers' Comments - NYTimes.com

Bryan Lawyer's response to the comments on his NYT article, and the comments people provided.

185.EDITORS' SELECTIONS (what's this?)
Bryan Lawlor
Richmond, VA
October 14th, 2009
10:17 am
Since the article is about me, I will take this one opportunity to comment. First, my wife did not say, nor did I say that I think she would not want to be married to me if I made less. It appears something was taken out of context. To those who say we must do with less, what you don't know is that we have done with less for years. I have been through 3 job lay offs prior to this affair. I have moved my wife and new born daughter back in with family after one of those layoffs. We are not, at all materialistic people, and we do not define ourselves by money. If we did, we would be nothing. We have managed through some very difficult experiences over the past 12 years and dodged bankruptcy. If not for an extremely supportive family (mine, my in-laws, relatives) we never would have made it through. Our family pulls together in tough times, and that has lessened the burden on us. I know that many out there are not as fortunate. I was approched by my union and asked if I would be interviewed for an article about pilots and their wage losses. I agreed because no one can deny that pilots have undergone massive assaults on wages and quality of life post 9-11. Bankruptcy processes are used to undermine legal contracts, and qualified professionals suffer as a result. Sullenberger and Skiles, who everyone embraced after their ordeal, have undergone massive wage reductions, and yet they show up and provide safe, professional transportation so you may once again be reunited with your loved ones. I ask you, what is that worth to you? Is it an $80 roundtrip ticket? I agreed to do this article on behalf of my peers in this industry, who have all suffered significant wage and quality of life losses. I love my job, and I can't imagine doing anything else. I spent years in other industry and just hated every moment of it. Someone mentioned that pilots fly because it is their dream and hinted that this somehow this makes it worth less. Not so! I fly to pay my bills, and it just so happens that I like doing what I do. Would you like to have a pilot up front who despises his job? Would you feel safe? It is our passion for our profession that makes the friendly skies so safe. I remain an avid student of my profession.

For those who are so concerned, rest assured that we are not a self absorbed family. My wife is a very kind and gentle mother and I am very secure in the fact that she loves me. She is the least materialistic person I know, and that fact is supported by everything we do. She almost never spends on herself. I sincerely hope she does not read any of this, because I fear it would hurt her to read some of your comments, and if this hurts her in any way, then I would just as soon delete this entire article. This article wasn't about greed and self entitlement. It is about trying to live with less, and how that makes you feel. As I said, I wish I could provide more for my family; but I still have to show up and do the same job, just for less money. This has been an epidemic in the aviation industry for far too long. It is almost routine and that frustrates the hell out of me. What some of you are experiencing in this economic downturn (day a week furloughs, pay cuts, etc.), pilots have been experiencing forever. I made that point to the author. This is nothing new. The great thing about our industry is it does not reward experience. If your airline shuts down, you start over fresh at the next one on the bottom of the seniority list with 1st year First Officer pay. This means if Delta failed tomorrow, a senior Delta Captain making $180K/year would start over at some other airline making $33/hr on a 75 hour pay guarantee per month. You don't take it with you. The industry is broke, and it needs fixing. Do you think that experienced Captain will start over? NOPE! You will lose that experienced pilot forever.

My children are wonderful and while our life has not been perfect, I would not change it; because to change one thing would alter my current existence as I know it. It would mean my children would not exist as I know them now, and I could not imagine a life without them. They make me proud, they make me stronger, and they drive me to pursue solutions for this industry.

In closing, I will say that I wish everyone could have a family like mine. I have been truly blessed, and spoiled to have parents, in laws, and relatives that are quick to contribute when the chips are down. Despite are bad luck, we are actually very lucky. As someone pointed out, we are fed, we are healthy, and we have a roof over our heads. I know that many people do not have our kind of support, and they are the ones that are truly soldiering on. I struggled with doing this b/c I thought with people literally starving in other countries, we would be asses to complain about our situation.

I hope my fellow pilots, many of whom have endured worse than I, see peace and stability in the future. Remain professional and fly safe.

par8head

...and the author's response as well from the same page of comments:


Louis Uchitelle
Business reporter, The New York Times
October 14th, 2009
2:24 pm
We chronicle many people at the extremes of society, but seldom ordinary people in the middle like the Bryan and Tracy Lawlor, and their four children. The Lawlors are trying — so far successfully — to maintain a middle-class way of life, despite the sharp cut in pay that Mr. Lawlor has experienced for a year now.

As he said in his post, “This article isn’t about greed and self entitlement. It is about trying to live with less, and how that makes you feel. As I said, I wish I could provide more for my family; but I still have to show up and do the same job, just for less money.”

The Lawlor marriage is very solid. Bryan and Tracy are devoted to each other and to their children. That was evident in the time I spent with them, and it should be evident to readers of my article — the whole article. I clearly report the respect the Lawlors have for each other and, in Tracy’s case, even more respect now than before his loss in pay. As she put it, she “wouldn’t trade him for another husband.”

So it is distressing to read comments that misinterpret what I wrote and what the Lawlors said. Mr. Lawlor, a highly skilled pilot, wants his lost income back. He doesn’t want to find himself as the years pass stuck at $40,000, and he adds that his wife naturally shares that sentiment. But she is with her husband, whatever the future holds.

Few marriages I’ve encountered are as solid as the Lawlors’ — and as I reported in my article, a year of diminished earnings has strengthened their bond.

tr disagree

The author is an idiot. He did not portray Bryan's marriage as a solid marriage, he misquoted his wife saying that she doesn't want to be with Bryan since he is making less. Knowing Bryan he fights to better our company and wants to also help the industry to reverse the trend of pay cuts, layoffs and down grades. He and I talked yesterday because I felt that this article was about greed and entitlement but was I wrong. Bryan tried to make it clear to the reporter that ExpressJet alone downgraded 130 CA to FO and furloughed 347 pilots not to mention all the other airlines that recently furloughed downgraded and those that are still on furlough from 9-11. It is unfortunate that what could have been such a positive article turned into such a goat rope and an embarrassment to the industry and especially Bryan's family for him voicing his concerns. Bryan again thank you for sticking your neck out on the line and I am sorry would could have been a positive turned into this hot steaming pile of ****.

__________________
This little proposition doesn't entail me dressing as Little Bo-Peep, does it?

wrxpilot

If anybody ever had any doubts, this debacle clearly illustrates why reporters that come to these newsgroups/forums looking for information are quickly rebuffed.