Originally Posted by Albief15

Underdog,

To answer your questions...

I am a raging, M-F'ing capitalist. I believe you ought to be able to make as much as you can if you are willing to work. I don't want anyone telling me that 50k, 100k, 150k, 250k, or 1.0M is "too much" for me. I'll let my own back, family, and individual wants and needs decide what is enough.

I enjoy running a couple side businesses. The satisfaction I get and the ability to have a few things I wouldn't just get on my salary alone are the reasons I work so hard. If folks don't want to work as hard, that's fine. It's their call.

My thoughts on age 60 changes have been discussed. I didn't want it, and don't like it. My job now as a union rep is simple--enforce the contract. We are doing that. Nothing in the contract that 94% of us signed said union reps (or anyone else for that matter) should decide what an individual can or cannot make. If I say to someone else they should leave just so I can make more money, who is really being greedy? I do think it is true a bunch of guys just got a five year windfall, but there is nothing in our contract that says if your income (or income from other sources) is greater than X you are greedy if you stay and contractually required to leave. The biggest drive to leave will come from internal desires of the pilot anyway--and I think money is only a portion of that matrix. We've got guys who would leave early if they could with no penalty, and guys who stay to 65 regardless of buyouts. So even if I DID have a "magic number" (which I don't) the point would be moot anyway.

The contract DID specify what we would do to keep everyone a job. In that case, we WILL share the pain for the collective good. However, as long as everyone is employed, we do not have a limit on how much anyone can make--either at FDX or in their total income.

As for resenting pilots who have a full military retirement...I certainly don't. They earned every bloody cent of it. The moving, stress, combat rotations, and risk of even the peacetime part of the job involve their own tradeoffs, those guys made the choice to stay until 20 years. This summer I know of three new fatherless families from AF crashes...including Tom Bouley who was my # 2 man on my Alaska fini flight in 1996. He stayed for over 20 years, but now won't get a dime of his retirement. So--in short--no 20 year vet is "greedy" in my eyes, no matter how much he or she earns.