The average new hire is probably in his or her mid-thirties. With 30 years to go until retirement, they're right to be concerned about just about everything and they need to pay attention. I'm glad when they do, and it's informative to hear concerns about issues on here that haven't touched my life and career yet, but might down the road. 8 to 10 contracts worth of fat-trimming/cost savings/efficiency gains are likely to completely change the landscape here and across society... what are the odds our quality of life will trend better over that time period? Is there a model in another career that we should look to for inspiration in this shareholder-focused economy? Everywhere I look, I see quality-of-life sacrifices that the little people make while the upper crust of our society gets exponentially richer and gains more control of almost every system. One can only hope their position might at least be grasping on to the crust as it separates. What used to be had by a hard-working high school graduate (good schools, safe neighborhoods, affordable health care, time with family) now nearly requires a dual-income family and many more total hours at work per week. What one used to be able to afford on a single job now often demands second and third jobs in the gig economy.

We've definitely got it good - don't get me wrong. But the trend line isn't in our favor. Thank goodness for our union and the inherent protections of organized labor - IMHO, that will at least slow inevitable qol degradation. DALPA is far from perfect but I'll take it in an instant over trying to fend for myself.

Sailing, I don't know you but I suspect your life is pretty sweet. You're in the sunset years, with grandkids and who knows what else keeping your glass half full or better. While many of our more senior pilots are struggling to catch up after the lost decade, there are just as many sitting pretty with a healthy (if smaller than originally planned) nest egg, little to no actual debt, aging parents who actually have pensions and health care supplements and possibly an estate of significance to pass along, spouses with pensions of their own, social security that will likely continue unabated through death, etc. I know that's not everyone's situation, but it's not uncommon. It's also very different from where many of our younger folks sit, and they're right to try and preserve everything they currently have and seek to improve it where they can.

Many of our newbies are sitting on mountains of debt themselves or in conjunction with their spouse. In comparison with two decades ago,
their spouse is more likely to be working and less likely to be staying home to manage the household while daddy goes to fly his trips. The jobs those spouses have are less likely to have pensions or affordable health insurance. The college expenses they'll face are significantly larger than in the days of old, and jobs available to their kids who may not be interested in college are fewer and pay less with poorer benefits. Their aging parents are less likely to be financially independent, and more likely to require financial or other assistance. They're also much less likely to be sitting on any wealth or property of significance that might ultimately be passed down.

Don't begrudge those with angst. Ignore them if you must, but legitimate complaints about the current state of affairs and particularly the trend lines going forward abound. You may not be pulling up the ladder, but it's definitely rusting out. Many of us are simply trying to reinforce it before that ladder collapses in dust. I'd love to think that whenever I reach your seniority and your age my qol life will be as good as yours is now. I suspect it won't. My inflation-adjusted paycheck may be similar (if I'm lucky), but that's of much less concern to me than just about everything else. I fully expect a productivity floor of sorts and difficulty dropping trips. The value of my and my family's travel benefits will likely have degraded significantly. I anticipate having less sick leave and more difficulty using it. My schedule will probably be more taxing on my body and I might have fewer avenues to improve it. If I choose or am forced onto reserve, I suspect I'll spend more time at work and less in actual reserve at home.

What am I getting wrong here? For what reasons should our new hires or anyone entering this industry not have similar concerns?