Originally Posted by
DALFA
According to Salary.com the median salary for an executive assistant in the Washington DC area is close to $70,000 per year plus bonus and benefits. At the 90th percentile that number grows to over $80,000 plus bonuses and benefits. That number grows to a median over $80,000 for an executive assistant to a CEO and to about $110,000 for those in the 90th percentile.
Yes, there are pilots making under $50,000 per year...but you're talking about 1st and 2nd year regional FOs. Washington DC isn't cheap. Do you know how much rent for a 1 bedroom apartment there is? You probably need at least $70-75k per year to live ok and rent a 1 bedroom apartment in the city.
Is the compensation of union employees sometimes higher than it should be? Probably. But, it's not the norm. A union can't underpay it's own employees and expect the management of their members to bend over and pay you as much as possible. Most union employees are actually part of a union, OPEIU.
I'm well aware of the artificially inflated prices in that cesspool of corruption. Funny thing is, we (ALPA) have tons of pilots based there too. And NYC. And LA. And SEA. And BOS. And every other high cost area.
Again, I don't care if some Mad Man's Madison Avenue exec assistant makes a million dollars a year. Good for him/her! Same for 6 figure doormen, bellhops, etc. But ALPA has no business paying general office assistants that until and unless the many many THOUSANDS of air line pilots they represent are making an appropriate amount *more* than that commensurate with their training, responsibilities, liabilities and skill set. That's right up there with $80K oil paintings.
And even
if that is simply what the location commands (it's not...don't tell me every entry level clerical job there makes that, and if they don't they walk...and we all know how drastically distorted "average/medium stats can be) then those positions should first be offered to ALPA members.
Right now there is, in general, pretty good advancement opportunities in the industry. That will change at some point, and until very recently it wasn't the case at all. Until the latest wave, we had many thousands of career FO's and even ALPA pilots furloughed for years. All that time, Herndon* was living in an entire different reality, including the issue in question.
*this doesn't mean DPA/IBT or anyone else wouldn't be just as detached; odds are in due time they all would be but that's not the point.