When negotiating contracts, maybe this is something that should be considered. Minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and at 40 hours a week a pay of $15,080 a year ($7.25 X 40 hours = $290 a week X 52 weeks = $15,080). With a monthly garuntee of 75 hours, a pilot would need to make $16.76 an hour first year wages to equal a minimum wage income ($15,080 / 12 months = $1,256.67 monthly / 75 hour garuntee = $16.76 hourly).

In addition, the average first year regional f/o has his debt bills to pay for the training that he recieved to acquire his certificates to work for said regional. Whether or not the student financed his training, this is indeed a bill that we have all paid to become a regional f/o. ATP currently advertises zero to hero for $59,990, Sallie Mae says their average private loans return an interest rate of 10.79%. Running these numbers through a loan calculator over a period of 10 years, I'd have to guess the "average" pilot debt bill is $817.90 a month. This is only the best guess I can make given the numbers I see.

So a monthly payment of $817.90 divided by a 75 hour garuntee means $10.90 of the working hour is spent on student loans for a pilot. If "minimum wage at 40 hours a week" is $16.76 an hour for a pilot, then the debt to become a pilot added in gives us a new number of $27.66. This is what a new first year first officer must make in order to afford his student loans and to maintain a minimum wage lifestyle. Maybe that can be used as a way for people to analyze their pay during contract negotiations.