When I was a boy all the agricultural labor in my home town came from the established local people. Over time competition in the apple market held wages down to a point where local workers wouldn't accept the compensation offered. The news papers declared that there was a labor shortage and that farmers were desperate for help. There of course wasn't really a shortage of labor, rather a shortage of workers who were willing to preform the job for what was being offered.

The local workers pressed the farmers into raising wages however the vacuum in labor drew in migrant farm workers from the south. These new workers were very happy with the levels of compensation since their expectations were less than that of the previous group of local workers. Discouraged the local workers eventually moved on to other professions or took to drinking and a welfare lifestyle. The apples were harvested and the consumer was satisfied with a quality product at a reduced price.

Legacy airline pilots are experiencing a similar situation in regards to competition from new groups of workers with reduced expectations. Regionals and LCC airlines are rapidly filling the gap by providing a quality service to the consumer at a reduced price. As a result the legacy pilot groups have responded by agreeing to pay cuts and a reduction in working conditions in order to match the threat.

Traditional migrant farm worker groups are beginning to get nervous. Two years ago before the borders began to close down new groups from even farther south were beginning to appear to fill the vacuum created by the now dissatisfied migrant farm workers who are demanding pay raises. It only takes a few minutes to train someone how to pick an apple. You don't even need to speak the same language.

The skills set once required to sit in the front office of an airliner are not difficult to come by anymore. At one time pilot wages were set by a true scarcity of people with the required abilities. Today there is a shortage of pilots who are willing to do the job for the compensation offered. In six months once news hits of renewed hiring a next generation of aviators will hit the flight schools and within six month and $45,000 later we will have a new flood of workers who are willing to the job today for much less.

SkyHigh