Sir, I am going to try and explain our position as simply as possible for you to understand. An Airline pilot is a professional career. We are not 9-5 bankers, accountants, laywers, doctors..etc. We are pilots. As such it takes many years to achieve the amount of qualified flight hours to even apply for this type of job. We are put through extensive training throughout our entire careers. Did you realize whenever UPS buys a new jet aircraft that we have to cram an entire systems manual into our heads in about 3 weeks of groundschool? Then there is approx. 3 weeks of simulator training just to be qualified to fly a new airplane. Do you have any clue as to how difficult this is? Most likely not. We are governed by the FAA and must pass a Class I or Class II physical to be able to do our job. A class I physical requires us to see a FAA governed doctor every 6 monts. After the age of 40 you are required to have a EKG done on your heart every year. One wrong heart beat and your career is over. Do you realize there are so many prescription and non-prescription drugs that we can't even take for such things as a common cold? I bet yoiu didn't know that. The Federal Government says we must retire at the age of 60. When are you required to retire? Back to the job itself. The vast majority of us are college educated. Many of us are post college graduates. Some of us are even Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants..etc. and still do this job because we love to fly airplanes. Lots of us are even Military Acadamy graduates. We are required to spend countless days away from our families every month. Flying to places all around the world. Possibly catching any types of diseases floating around. How about 9-11? I don't recall any package trucks being jacked and driven into the World Trade Center. Did you know some of us may even be packing a six shooter? I bet not. Where exactly do you have to travel and how often are you away from home? I certainly bet not as often as we are. Getting to the point of pay. Why shouldn't we be paid the salaries we are currently being paid? Noone has ever said that a package car driver shouldn't be paid a 6 figure salary. If you think you deserve it then bargin for it. If you are jealous of our salaries and lifestyles then go out and get get your flying licence and see how long it takes to make a 6 figure salary. Do you know it cost me nearly $50,000 for my pilot's licence just to get my first flying job paying only $11,000 the first year. I bet you didn't know that either. Hell, I want to be professional baseball player and be paid a 7 figure salary but I know how few ever make it that far. I certainly do not think a professional sports figure should ask for less. The team owners pay them what they are worth. Professional sports is just like an airline. If you want the best players on the field then it's going to cost you. UPS knows this but just doesn't want to step up to the plate yet. As for the airline industry being in a decline. SO WHAT!!! 16 years ago when I was hired the airlines were going strong but UPS could have cared less. They stated then that they could not compare us to the passenger airlines. Well now that has come back and bit them in the a$$. Just because the airlines are struggling now you can bet for sure because it has happened in the past, the salaries and pensions will increase again. Count on it. Now as for any of my IPA brothers and sisters who have treated you or any other driver with disrespect, I am sorry. There is no place for that in our profession. I go completely out of my way to be friendly with all personnel working around my aircraft. So please try and understand where we are coming from. UPS is a multi-billion dollar company and everyone deserves a piece of the pie. I would love it if you could truly walk a day or week in my shoes. Only then would you understand.
Respectfully,
CW