Not a ramble at all, well said, actually...I have been screwed by two MEC's and know firsthand that there is only one pilot that cares about your job and that's you. If anyone thinks that people are voting on a contract or work rules changes because it helps you or "the profession" more than it helps them, you are sadly mistaken. The only pilots that I can think of that are into helping others are those that fly missionaries/doctors around in third world countries and they are probably more interested in helping "the needy" than their fellow pilots.

Face it, the only way you can really help you out is by becoming a member of your MEC or some other similar position. You can volunteer to help those folks and/or help distribute information but other than that, make sure you vote on your contracts and/or TA's (or whatever your company calls it). If all else fails, Wal-Mart is always hiring...funny, no matter how crappy the pay, QOL, schedule, gripes, etc., most of us will fly a 747 for $25/hr before we go to work at McD's or Wal-Mart (I know, I'm probably one of those guys too!), do you think management knows that and that's why they continue to scr&w pilots? So, the short answer to the thread, is yes, alot of folks will work for $800/mo, albeit not quite the way it was proposed in the original question. To work for $140k/yr when I could pull in $130k (or even 75k) in retirement is not even an option for me, I love getting paid to be at home, that's why I used to bid reserve even as a very senior f/o. Just my two cents...ok, that was a ramble ;-)