Originally Posted by Freight Dog

Anyone near the bottom 10% of any airline seniority list is one management announcement away from a furlough and can't secure a decent QOL factor.

That said, here's my 1-10 scale (10 being best) at UPS for those thinking of making this place a home:

++QOL: 8.5
-We have the best conflict rules in the industry. Junior pilots can turn one week of vacation into 3-5 weeks off. Senior pilots can take two months off using two weeks
-You can fly international your entire career if you want to
-No PBS!
-No such thing as a "senior airplane" due to one simple pay scale for all
-No need to jump airplanes to increase your pay
-Did I say NO PBS?
-Some really hard schedules to fly, at night

++Health Insurance: 10
-Industry leading

++Pay: 8
-We are surpassed now by the Big Three
-Future Contract 2018 should bring hourly rates up 15-25%
-Avg pilot earns 15% more than guarantee
-Don't need to be a captain to earn $200k+ on current contract
-Future contract: FOs will likely make passenger narrowbody captain pay
-First year pay needs a big bump; industry lagging

++Retirement: 9
-Only better retirement package is at FedEx
-No 401K match
-No Profit Sharing

++Aircraft: 8.8
-Airplanes are well maintained and standardized
-No aircraft orders, the only major US airline without any

++Job Security: 9.5
-This is where I want to be if another 9/11 hits America
-One furlough (not one every decade) notwithstanding

++Career Progression: 3
-15 year upgrade to captain time and getting longer
-Only hiring the past 8 years has been due to attrition
-Retirements don't pick up for another 8-10 years
-BUT: someone under 35 hired the next few years will have massive career earnings because:
-Avg pilot age is 52

++Colleagues: 9.8
-UPS HR has done a good job of hiring great people

++Union: 9.8
-Very cohesive, independent union
-Works well with company on safety issues
-Pitbull during negotiations; witness the full page ads in the Wall Street Journal
-Gets *almost* everyone's job back who gets terminated
-Negative: most contracts are 9-10 years between signings; not union's fault necessarily