Originally Posted by
TBucket
Actually, you are completely wrong. It would be capitalism if it were unrestricted. Thanks to the RLA, it's about as far from "what they're worth" as one can get. When you have no leverage to negotiate, you get basically what management wants to pay you. Obviously, this is not what you're "worth". This is what they want to give you. Repeal the RLA and then let's see what pilots are "worth". Negotiations would change drastically if you could go on strike the day your contract expires, rather than maybe 4-5 YEARS later. (If the government decides to let you)
Bingo, especially when the arbitrators are decidedly pro-management. That being said, we're not a truly capitalistic society, nor could we ever truly be one. A purely capitalistic society HAS no regulation. In this example (the airlines), safety would be completely dependent on the airlines self regulating their own safety, in the interest of competition. "Don't fly airline A, they only inspect their engines every three years. Fly Airline B, where we inspect our engines more than any other airline out there!" I can guarantee you that safety would not be nearly what it is today if left in the hands of the airlines. I'm not advocating complete reregulation, but clearly the airlines have not demonstrated the ability to self regulate themselves when balancing safety vs cost. Why should the last and most important line of defense, the pilots, be the ONLY thing left unprotected from management?