I assume you see that as a problem. Just out of curiosity, do you see that as problem a) because you don't think Moak is effective, or b) no ALPA President is worth that much, no matter how effective he/she is?

I've always thought that we were pretty silly to argue that our executives and union officers (at that level) should not be well compensated, as long as it's commensurate to their performance. For example Mullin deserved nothing but a pink slip. On the other hand, RA does a good job, and I'm not concerned that his salary is out of proportion to the job. I also don't spend much time worrying about Cortelyou, Bastian, and guys like that. I'll sidestep the discussion about FPL, which I don't understand much, except to say that also should be relative to the performance of the individual. Some don't deserve any, some are worth their weight in gold.

What I am concerned about is that I also get compensated in accordance to my contribution to the company. I want Delta to have well-compensated executives, and I expect ALPA's President to have a comfortable income. That level of responsibility should be paid well enough that it's not like charity to accept the position. I don't even believe that the president of a 50,000+ member union needs to be paid as much as the highest paying Captain. As long as the proportion between the two is reasonable, I can live with it. I see the CEO job as being good for up to about 25 times the average salary, and I can live with a union president getting, say 5X the average pilot's salary.

I know this is anathema to most people, and I'll probably get crucified for this post, but I'm pretty sure that every time we talk about who else needs to be paid less, we start down a pathetic vindictive path, one that invariably sees us at the bottom of the raw deal.

I want to talk about getting paid well. I don't mind having a debate about Moak being... woerth 500K. I know Prater wasn't worth a dime, and the scumbag before not a nickel. I just don't think 500K for that position is weird, even if it is my money. That person operates in Washington, where money sloshes around all over the place. I want to attract ambitious and smart people to the job, and I expect they're going to get something for being there. It can be our hard-earned money, or it can be easier money dispensed by the lobbyists.