Originally Posted by
AtlCSIP
From an independent source: A professional is someone who has completed formal education and training in one or more profession. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skills necessary to perform the role of that profession. In addition, most professionals are subject to strict codes of conduct enshrining rigorous ethical and moral obligations. Professional standards of practice and ethics for a particular field are typically agreed upon and maintained through widely recognized professional associations.
Not to say that two "wrongs" make a "right" but what are professional pilots to do if they adhere to the definition and airline management does not?
The value of the pilot profession is being flushed down the tubes these days by regional airline management (and many majors, ACMIs, charters, etc., too) in hot pursuit of lower operating costs and greater profits. The problem, however, does not rest with what pilots are being paid, but with what passengers are being charged. In theory, pilots could fly for free and airlines would simply drop their fares in competition with one another until they were at the same razor thin margins that they are today. Then who would they blame?
Pilots are not the problem.
Taking back the profession "professionally" starts with the pilot groups that are in negotiations or are about to sign a contract right now.
Stand up and stand strong for your profession.
Refuse to vote for anything but a quantum leap forward in your contract. There has been no better time to do this, maybe ever. Airlines don't offer $5000 signing bonuses and classes typically never go completely unfilled in times of pilot surpluses. We have the upper hand and it is time to take advantage of the supply vs demand market we have.
Look as far ahead as you possibly can into your future and the future of your chosen profession and determine what is right for you and do not base your decision on todays immediate wants. The professional pilot industry was, at one point, something to be admired because of the courageous determination of early airline pilots who stood up and faced their employers and demanded professional wages for professional work.
We have lost this ability, to a large extent, in recent times. It is time to take it back.
It is possible to make the any airline a career destination that has livable wages you can be proud of.
You may have to work for it, however.
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