It is a good sign that Phil stated he expects the cost of labor to rise in '09 due to a new pilot contract, but... I will believe it when I get a check that has a number on it that I can safely call "a barely livable income". And even then we'll probably have massive payroll errors for the next 24-36 months after a contract.

So many things need to improve at this place. At this point I can't even imagine upgrading into the airport reserve nightmare that all the junior captains are having to live through. This isn't a case of "paying your dues" it's a case of VERY poor contract guidelines and I will be dreadfully disappointed if all this crap isn't washed away in the new contract. I don't want to see the union selling-out junior folks so they can negotiate better things for the top 10%. I have been a little worried about this because I've seen it happen at other airlines in the past.

I think we all know this isn't going to be an industry-leading contract, but we have to make a giant leap in contract language. There seems to be an alarming number of people, mostly captains, at this airline that tend to lean on the thought that "We're actually not paid that bad." This always blows me away. No offense, but I think this has something to do with a "I'm the richest guy in my small depressed country town and don't know any better" mentality or "Mommy and Daddy have always paid for everything. Including my job!" If some of you were allowed to fly for certain other regionals for just a week I think you'd be surprisingly blown away at the drastic change in compensation and work rules. Sure, there isn't a perfect place, but I've compared my W2 to friends flying the same equipment at other regionals and it's night and day compared to the hours I put in vs them. It's just plain embarrassing. We're being taken advantage of at this airline and there are just way too many folks that are completely comfortable with it.

It's one thing to jump on a 99% bandwagon to strike. It's another to make a real stand. Yes, the RLA in conjunction with 8 years of evangelical redneck bureaucracy has crippled our ability to move forward; however, I continue to see so many missed opportunities to fly safe and not unnecessarily bend over backwards so that our executives get their annual million dollar bonuses. It is not unethical or unmoral to simply do your job the way the FAA wants you to do it, but too many folks seem to fly as if they are brainwashed to ensure our executives get their unearned compensation. I am totally fine with executives making millions, but ours have been doing it (even in better times) at the expense of what should be their most valuable and respected resource. The employee.

I don't know what the answer is, but like I said before. I have a lot of doubts about this place ever being a good place to work. It simply doesn't have the foundation, business plan, or leadership to result in a good company culture.