Originally Posted by oldmako

I've been listening to your type of tripe for over 30 years. My point remains unchanged. Sadly, most pilots are so enamored with the fact that they have cool jobs that they willingly sell their services on the cheap. In my first decade, I was one of them. But my tenure and experiences have changed my tune. There is no chip on my shoulder, only lessons learned.

Adjusted for inflation, we are in arrears of our peers' earnings despite that fact that we no longer have a pension. That you and others feel that this is okay means nothing to me. Yes, it's a great job. That's precisely why I busted my a$$ to get it. But that doesn't mean that we should do it at a discount. Cool factor doesn't pay bills nor fund retirements. Tweaks won't cut it. Significant improvements will be a good start.

The current contract is loaded with bogus loopholes and concessionary gimmies. None of which were necessary and all of which were agreed to just to get a deal done in exchange for an acceptable hourly rate. We were negotiating in extremis. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to plug the loopholes when the opportunities arrive. Oh wait, one already did. We gave Smisek a pile of money while he trashed the airline simply to stop the Blue vs Black whip-sawing. Now, SK is trying to poop-chute your contract with more RJ flying and guys are willing to play nice as they speculate on their PS check 6 months in advance.

Carry on Marvins. And when we get that full retro check, I'll eat mine.