Originally Posted by
Adlerdriver
I'm not arguing pay rates with you - I agree they should all be higher.
You claimed (as many do) that we only get paid when the door is shut or more accurately - when we are blocked out. That is not a true statement.
My other side point was that pilots have always had their pay based on flight hours (which are NEVER as high as duty hours). Even if a WB Captain made $500/hour, he'd still be getting paid for his flight hours rather than his duty hours. I doubt he would be complaining, though, do you? (well, maybe - he is a pilot after all
)
To an airline, pilot pay is basically a fixed cost - give or take a little. Even if you felt they were paying you fairly, they have an average figure in mind per pilot. If you wanted your compensation based on 350 monthly duty hours, your hourly pay would not be as high (regardless of whether you felt the rate was fair or not). In the end, it's very likely your pay at the end of most months would be very similar regardless of how it was calculated.
Yeah I hear what you are saying but why not just call it what it is. Instead of 20/hr for a 75 hour guarantee, just say 4/hr for time on duty. It might do us more justice to have headlines read "Pilot's make less than half minimum wage" Plus the fact that we are not being paid overtime. They worked it out so that we are salaried but under the "hourly" category minus the overtime benefits.