Originally Posted by
Plabelover
Before I get any hate I’m not yet an airline pilot, I’m a student pilot and I have been seeing a lot of strikes recently and I’ve always wanted to ask why? Is it for better pay or benefits? What difference is a contract does? I’m asking because I want to understand. Because from outside looking in, flying airplanes making $90/hr first year doesn’t sound bad at all comparing to having a bachelor’s degree in business, working in customer service getting yelled at by entitled people making $14/hr. I'm looking forward for your responses and having a great conversations about this topic with you guys!
If you have any plans of becoming an airline pilot, they are doing you a HUGE favor by fighting today for better pay and working conditions, so that you may enjoy those fruits in the future.
Nothing in the airline industry is given, it must be fought for. You think these airlines pay pilots decent salaries and benefits because they are nice people? Nope - they would take all of it away from all of us in one second if they could, and the only thing that stops them are the organized efforts of unionized pilots pushing to maintain the standards of the profession. Without collective effort, all flying jobs would go to the lowest bidder.
I hope that when you someday get an airline job (if that’s what you want), that the profession is still worth pursuing, thanks to the efforts of those who came before you.
For further reading:
- Hard Landing
- Confessions of a Union Buster
- From Wooden Wings - Part I
- From Wooden Wings - Part II
Ask around and someone can help get them for you.