Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
1. Hours of work are hours of work. Whether they are at AMR or at sonic.
Yes, and while your 8 hours pay day at sonic would require 10 hours per day, and result in perhaps 50 hours away from home and family... the same 8 hour pay day at your airline requires 12-16 hours per day, and results in about 80-100 hours away from home and family. You're making less than 6 bucks and hour for your time as a pilot.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
If I have to work overtime or get an outside part-time job I will still be taking work out of the available pool.
We are not talking about GNP and available jobs per capita. We are talking about the number of pilots required at ONE airline to cover their flying. If you can not admit that flying overtime allows them to keep less pilots on staff, than your MBA is worthless.... get a refund.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
This will still hurt the furloughed pilots in one way or another. This causes others to go after the jobs that our furloughed pilots need to work. In an ideal world none of us would need overtime or a second job. I make $26 bucks an hour. My salary is not close to jet pay. This is a whole other issue though and we won't go into that right now.
all the more reason NOT to work overtime.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
2. I don't drink the company Kool-aide just as I don't drink the union Kool-aide. Take both with a grain of salt. By reducing cost I don't mean salary. I mean COST. When I get furloughed I will blame it on a few things.
- A shrinking economy. The company hired me when things were going much better than they are now. People traveled more. I feel that the company has no obligation to employ me if they can't afford to because they are operating at a smaller capacity than when I was hired. If you want to blame anybody, blame the families that aren't going on a vacation this year, blame the business execs that teleconfrence instead of fly to the meetings.
- Pilots who deliberately cost the company as much as they can. I know a few who will do anything and everything to make sure AMR runs out of money. This includes bidding from plane to plane every chance they can so that the company has to train them again and again. This is not only expensive and counter productive, but it is a very immature and bone-headed move. Also, I'm tired of pilots slowing down just so they can time out or over-block. This is what I mean by do your job as you were hired to. If you are filed at Mach .76, don't fly it at .73 just so you get in 5-10 minutes late every flight. In addition, sick call abuse costs the company a lot of money too. Think about how many salaries could be paid if people only called in sick when they actually were sick.
Yep, a shrinking economy is a factor. Just as pilots flying overtime is a factor. Pilots as a group do not have control over the economy, you do have control over working voluntary overtime.
FYI, next time your upset about flying with somebody doing .73 instead of .79, when you get there 5-10 minutes late (an on time arrival BTW for DOT purposes), check the calculated fuel burn, vs what you actually used... you may be surprised.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
3. I wasn't here then, you're right, but neither were you.
Ah ha, wrong again... I've probably been in and out of this industry more years than you've been alive.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
We used to be worth looking up to.
Many still are... if you'd shut off your ipod long enough to listen, perhaps you might just learn something. There are still pilots who ARE Captains... most do not understand the meaning of PIC other than to assume they garner a larger paycheck and log the flight time differently... and - according to the newer younger pilots - refuse to leave and get out of their seat.
Your airline hired you because they saw the ability in you to someday command one of their aircraft. They do not hire First Officers.... they ALL hire furture Captains. Stop whining.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
4. I'm not blaming my low salary on anyone else. I knew the pay-grade when I applied. I just didn't think I would be on turbo-prop pay or stay on reserve so long.
You are kidding me right? You're at AMR, Eagle right? Go look at how long people have been on reserve at American. DECADES ! You may have known the pay grade, but apparently you didn't check into much else.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
What I was trying to say is that until you have done everything you could to make this company profitable, you can't blame others for not doing the same.
your still trying to tell people that you don't drink the Koolaid right ?
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
5. This was just to sum up my frustration with lazy or dishonest pilots. Stop blaming others and work hard.
Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with doing your job. We're talking about doing voluntary overtime.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
My stance on these issues stem from my raising and business degree. It is pretty simple to understand, when the company doesn't make money, neither do you (i.e. you get furloughed),
Oh, so that is how it works. Thanks for that... that must explain the executive bonus programs, and how AMR management is compensated up to 10 times more than the other airlines they like to use to compare your salary.
Originally Posted by
AmericanEagleFO
when they do, you do (i.e. you keep your job). Next time you take a swing at me make sure you get a little wood on the ball (all in good fun).
Keep talking (writing) you're making my case for me the more you talk.