Originally Posted by
unitedflyier
It's not just regionals who have been paying their dues. I like a couple of thousand went to United 1999-2000 and were furloughed twice then pretty much stapled to the bottom of the senility list. The top guys run the show and I have been hearing about how I have to pay my dues for 14 years and shut up and eat the chicken.
The pilots complain about management keeping the giant slice of the pie for themselves and not giving anything back for shared sacrifice, but the pilots have been doing the same thing for years by throwing the junior pilots under the bus and even dreaming up that stupid phrase 'Paying your dues'. Time to stick together and share the pie and not pee on the person below you.
I agree with you, but we are "eating" two different chickens. Mine is a Regional chicken, yours is a Major chicken. Both might taste ****ty, but I'm willing to bet yours tastes better
.
I do agree with you in part that this profession and the methodology of hierarchy allows for guys/gals to achieve contracts favorable to those at the top of the seniority list. To an extent, that's what we are stuck with. Nobody is going to vote in a pay cut for themselves and in all honesty I don't believe they should.
At a testimony before congress, Bryan Bedford (Republic CEO) said they had offered to pay their First Officers more but the union rejected the proposal. On the surface, this makes the union look bad; however, the truth of that proposal turned out that Republic offered it's First Officers more but only if the Captains conceded a paycut. Hence my swipe at management.
Regarding your point, I do believe that some pilots are the issue. SOME of the senior guys may have forgotten what it's like to be the junior guy. SOME of the senior guys may not give a squat what it's like to be the junior guy. SOME of the senior guys may have the "paying your dues" mentality. I'm not sure what the answer is here. I'm sure it could be found somewhere in between management and the pilot group...somewhere in between the regionals and the majors.
I am certain of the fact that the Status Quo is no longer acceptable to the majority. I am certain that the luster is starting to dim ever so slightly....my thoughts in a jumbled mess.