Originally Posted by
STILL GROUNDED
Yet another reasonable argument for us all belonging to one union they focuses on the pilots. Structured pay based on Gross Weight. An aircraft weighing xxxxx to xxxxx pays $XXX.XX, an so on. If we all had the same rates then pilot pay would no longer be a bargaining chip for companies. Lets start making deals based on what management gets paid for a change. Let them skin the cat somewhere else besides the employees pockets.
ALPA looked at a "minimum" back in the 80s. When you set a minimum wage, then that's what you are saying the seat is worth. Several years ago Delta paid around 265/hr for a 76/75 captain. Others were less than 200. If you set the min at 265, are you going to pay the six month assesment for the 200/hr guys to strike to bring it up to 265? Or are you going to do a SOS when the 265/hr has to go on strike because the union said the seat was worth under 200/hr?
When you set the bar, whatever it may be, that's what management will use as there "end" point, in good times. Why should management even bargain when they know they can go into mediation/arbitration and just wait on what the union said the seat was worth.
Just as things have bargined themselves down (pattern bargaining), it should work its way back up. That's how Delta ended up with over 310/hr for a 777 captain. It was "United Plus". Unfortunately years later it became "United minus".
And by the way, supplemental type carriers ususally have always paid less than the legacies, for doing the same job on the same equipment. And I lump startups along with supplemental carriers in the same group. Give them time.
A carrier with 4 airplanes will not affect the bargaining at any national or major. And remember, if the minimum was not good enough, there wouldn't be a minimum.