I should at least get minimum wage for doing the walk around. Just because it may not be "Traditional" or whatever in the airline industry doesn't mean it's right.

I've pushed shopping carts, drove a fork lift, delivered drugs for a pharmacy, mowed grass, worked at sears, worked at an FBO pumping fuel and this is/was my dream job and it is the only job I've ever had where I DO NOT get paid for everything that I do.

If I would've known this 6 years ago I'd be debt free and probably much happier. I feel stuck now. So much time and money invested. Maybe there's a way out..

Arguing about it isn't going to help. Get it into the public eye. Demand better duty rigs.

 

My blood boils (if I think about it) every single time I do a pre-flight and post flight in the rain, then spend the next 20 minutes wet, getting the airplane ready to fly, and running checklists, out of the goodness of my heart, all while a screw up in these activities could result in a violation, or God knows what else..

 

Come on. We all knew what we were signing on for when we told them in the H.R. Interview we would do whatever it took to get this job. There in lies the problem. If the average 4 day is worth 77 hours away from base and you do 4 per month, that's less than $27,000 per year gross. For most of us with union dues and medical plus taxes that's under $20,000 per year bring home. Be careful what you wish for.

 

So when you went to interview, you did know the stipulations of your employment, correct?! Just asking because if your blood boils over doing a pre-flight, I would hate to be around when an IROP occurs!

 

You're right. We all should have **** canned our career goals as soon as we found out we weren't paid for pre-flight duties. And fighting to make this industry better is just stupid right? I bet you are a blast to fly with.

 

If you knew who you were talking too, you would eat your own words. I came from Comair; and you want to talk about trying to improve pay and quality of life!? That's all I have done for years only to lead me where? Having to make a lateral move to stay employed? Please, your comment falls on deaf ears. I was only trying to provide a perspective based on minimum wage. But once again, you are obviously XJET till you die!

 

My numbers work out WAY higher. But then again, your assumptions may be WAY lower for some reason.

 

What we are all feeling as F.O.s currently is stagnation. It's kind of like brain freeze. We know what it's like and hate it but we continue to suck down that delicious frozen drink. Only because we know the brain freeze will go away.

All the BS F.O.s deal with regularly such as crap pay and working for free wouldn't be so bad if we knew for sure it was only temporary.

I wouldn't touch an ice cream if I knew there was a chance the brain freeze would last forever. Wish I thought about that before becoming a pilot.

Crappy analogy but might shed a little light on what we whiny F.O.s are trying to express to the more privileged folks.

 

Why all the exclamation points? What are you so excited about?

Yes, I did know the stipulations of my employment. So I guess I should have turned down all my job offers after getting all my ratings and flying all those hours, and waited for a gig that would offer to pay me for those duties. What a ludicrous post.

Because I signed up for it does that mean I can't ponder the issue of how I and many others spend so much time working for free, along with all the other crap we put up with, and the amount we get shat on by almost everyone in the US aviation industry, from management to gate agents? Because I signed up for it I am supposed to sit quietly with a smile on my face getting paid a ridiculously low wage for what I do, AND then on top of that be happy about working for free? Maybe I should just shut up about everything and not say a word? Maybe we should all stop complaining about everything, and just accept what the company is willing to give us, and settle at that.

Because that is what you are directly insinuating.

While my blood boiling may not change much at my current employer, at least it keeps me motivated to find a place where I still may do those same functions for "free", but at least I won't be getting a slap in the face dressed up as 25,000$ a year to do it, but a respectable, and livable wage, where doing those things for "free" will at least be justifiable.

 

I'm with stoki. The defeatist attitude in this industry is everywhere. It's not a matter of, "If you don't like it, quit" as some keep stating. IMO, "If you don't like it, do your best to negotiate something better next time, even if it's a small improvement."