Originally Posted by
captande
Funny how someone always brings it back here. Sh**ing on the next generation coming up. I fail to see what’s wrong with wanting a better return on investment. Should we take it to “well if the Nobel boomers didn’t crash the market in ‘08 and drive up tuition with their greed we wouldn’t need to be paid more”. No, leaving the industry better than you found it, that’s what we all should be striving for. Doesn’t matter if your 64 or 21, we should be helping each other out.
Not crapping on anyone. Just pointing out the realities, the economic and social forces involved. It's important to understand that, since there will almost certainly be a downturn or change in the balance in the future. Best not to get caught financially like a deer in the headlights when that happens, and even better to have a balanced perspective and long-term view of things. You'll be unhappy someday if the apparently endless upward trajectory of the industry falls out from under you unexpectedly.
Re. the last point, yes it would be nice if we all helped each other out generation to generation, but that's a tough nut to crack. Greed is one reason. Another is dues paid in the past. Let's say I paid about 20 years of dues during a fairly sucky period in the industry. Now with kids approaching college, things are working out better for me and my family. Should I ask my union to have the company give 30% of my pay to the regional pilot groups to "help them out"? No, my family was along for the dues paying, so it's their turn to enjoy some upside.
Also while I don't necessarily think anyone should pay dues just because I did, I have a real problem allocating part of my compensation to noobs who haven't paid any dues. If they can hold out for more and get the regionals to pony up, good for them. But I'm not wasting my negotiating capital on their problems. Especially since they typically will have about 20 more years than I did to get an ROI.