Gents, would someone have the historical airline management/executive compensation graphs available to show overlapping this graph that the original poster put up? It would be interesting to see, but I'm willing to bet that their graph was going the other way over the same time frame.

You want to fix this erosion of the 'profession'? Here are my thoughts:

1) Repeal RLA. This will enable you to strike like every other real union - when your contract is up, without another one signed, you're walking...

2) Take away management's ability to threaten you with pay cuts and make the system allow you to vote with your feet without such drastic penalties. Current seniority system needs a serious overhaul. Again, when we were taking paycuts, they were getting bonuses. Who's the chump?

In any case, it will be a major uphill battle regardless of the direction.

It'll be a tough one because the management has no incentive to reverse this trend because we cannot vote with our feet - for most, it's a financial suicide; and also we cannot strike without getting released by NMB. We all know how long that can take.

+1

Management has likely kept pace (or better) with inflation, though I have no data to prove that. Having said that, we DIDN'T because of the fundamental reasons you mention:

1) The inability to have "portable seniority" is our Achilles heel. It was a good idea back in the days of regulation, but it is an anachronism now, and is a strong disincentive for the top 1/3 of the list to (generally) ever be willing to use the ultimate weapon.

2) Even if you CAN convince the entire group to strike, the NMB hardly ever allows it, and only in the most egregious of cases. One need only look at ASA's 5 year battle, Pinnacle's 5 (?) year, APA's 3+ year etc. etc.

Absent fixing these two broad issues, there is little hope that we will ever again achieve anything relative to what we previously enjoyed.

I am curious to see SWA's pay rates shown on a graph like PG posted. Anyone know how to find that info?

The government wanted cheap accessible air travel for everyone. They got exactly what they wanted. Through unfair policies, they zombified the airlines to the point which we have now. If the government steps in to re-regulate the industry, it will be to keep fares low and not the other way around like some are thinking.

They now want cheap medical care for all, they are working to achieve it. Over the next ten years doctors are about to go the way of the airline pilot.

Actually I'd like to see that too. And you know what it would show? That from 1978 (or whenever SWA was created) until 12/31/2004, without exception, DAL's rates far exceeded SWA's.

They moved to the top of the pile, simply because they stood still, while everyone else took 3 giant steps backwards. :(

and making money for thirty five years straight had nothing to with them standing still with pay rates. I hope Delta pilots get what is deserved, back to great rates and qol! Good luck guys

+1
All very true.

ALPA et al needs to control the seniority lists in conjunction with no RLA.

Winner, winner, Guinness dinner (hey, it's fb Saturday).

Pumping your Money
 

jungle, re:

"For the last thirty years pumping your money or concern
to a bunch of buffoons has not done a bit of good by any
real measure."

---

You talking about the US Government or ALPA? Neither one seems to be doing you much good.

Every time a new contract is signed, it was negotiated by "pilot negotiators", while management hired a powerful negotiating law firm.

To begin the big turn-around of our contracts, we must use the same tactics that management uses. Then we may begin seeing some real gains in pattern bargaining.