Originally Posted by
FLYBOYMATTHEW
I'm sorry, but this negotiation should have nothing to do with what the company is earning or can earn in spite of what they are paying us. This has everything to do with the value of our time and talents, the compensation that our particular skill set deserves, and what our competitors pay for comparable services.
I agree. It SHOULD not have anything to do with it. But it does have everything to do with it. Furthermore how do you determine what a professional is worth? Shell we ask the professionals or shell we ask the person writing the check for payroll? One will tell you we are worth more than ER surgeons, the other will tell you current labor supply / demand. Who is right?
I guess it all comes down to your valuation of self-worth. Don't we perform the same duties, arguably even more, than our peers at other U.S. carriers? I feel I'm worth much more than the compensation I'm currently receiving, and I am not worried in the least about "destroying" a company that can not or is not willing to compensate me accordingly. If the company can not survive and thrive whilst paying us industry standard wages, than the company should not be in existence in the first place.
Valuation of self-worth is part of leverage. Look around your peers and tell me what you think, how much they think, they are worth? This too is very much part of the leverage question. Then tell me why do they think they are only worth that much.
Yes we perform the same duties. But my post was about why we don't ask for SW rates? So why shall we compare us to the top few percent of all the pilots who are paid top money, while the industry average is well below that?