Originally Posted by OnCenterline

Gentlemen,

A few points to ponder

1. The president of ALPA (and I assume IBT) must sign each contract, which means that they not only endorse, but condone, low regional pay.

2. How many of us--myself included--have left or lost well-paying jobs, only to recycle at the bottom of an RJ seniority list somewhere? This only perpetuates the notion that we will not just tolerate, but run, to these jobs.

3. How many of us have made an investment in this career, knowing that there was going to be a) low pay for a number of years, and b) a risk of little or very slow career progression?

4. How many of us are willing to look in the mirror and say that we are a part of the problem, for continuing to accept the low wages. Nobody is twisting our arms.

5. What ALPA is not acknowledging are two important points. First, the cost of learning to fly have skyrocketed. I finished all of my ratings between 1991 and 1994 for less than $16,000, and paid cash as I went. Second, there is indeed a pilot shortage, but not just on the professional side. There is shortage of people learning to fly just to learn to fly, and many of those--myself included--only later decided to go full bore for a career.

I admit that I have been lucky, as I hit the front end of the regional wave in the mid-90's, and I got hired a year ago at a legacy. But the truth is, we have all contributed to this issue.

And the truth is, there really is a pilot shortage, but it's across the board, not just in the professional ranks.

Just food for thought...