Did anyone else noticed that today the federal Gov't raised the minimum wage? The new min wage is $7.25/hr. So think about it...I go and apply at McDonalds for a full time position. I need absolutely no skills or advanced training to swing a mop and empty trash for 8 hours a day. Lets say That I'm a real go getter and elect to work 5 hour shift each week to help ends meet. This time would be paid as over time premium of time and a half. I'm young have no real money so vacation time would be worthless so I take no Va-Ca. I would earn a cool $290.00 +$54 (overtime) per week. For 52 work weeks I would make $17,907.00/year. Add to this I would recieve two full meals free each day.

Now on the other hand I attend a university, graduate with a degree in anything and spend $50,000 to $100,000 on obtaining and ATP. I get a job at a regional with the hope of advancing to a major in 4-5 years.

My first year pay sitting reserve making minimum gaurantee is as follows

Commutair....$16,416
Cape Air.......$16,380
Colgan..........$18,900
Compass.......$21,600
Great lakes....$14,400
Go Jet..........$20,424
GIA..............$16,200
Mesaba.........$21,600
Piedmont.......$23,380
Pinnacle.........$21,900
Trans States...$18,480

Next tier
Eagle $22,500
ASA $20,700
Comair $19,800
ExpressJet $20,700
Mesa $17,100
Republic $20,700
SkyWest $19,800

Majors
AMR $30,660
CAL $28,272
DAL $43,680
UAL $27,720
US Air (E) $21,600
US Air (W) $34,560

And don't forget The Janitor swinging the mop makes about $18,000 and we get paid the above amounts. Kind of SAD when professional pilots are paid less than janitors and some Major airline first year FOs are paid just $3000-$10,000 more for their skills and levels of responsabilities

Just food for thought

Might want to show thise numbers during section 6 talks

 

ahhh i thought there was going to be food here.

oh well. and at mcdonalds you dont get your meals for free. you get emeals which are half off, ask me how i know!

 

You should see what a first year mechanic makes at some of these places. And these are the guys working on what you fly everyday

 

I guess it depends on the proprietor...all the McDs I worked at fed us well!

 

All meals were 50% off in the one year I endured at McDucks in high school No such thing as a free lunch. And the worst part was, you would go on break and something like hamburgers or nuggets or chicken fingers would "expire" after sitting there for 8 minutes and were we allowed to eat the food that was about to be dumped? Hell no. Starving kids in Africa would poop a brick if they knew how much food gets thrown away by fast food joints.

 

Where were your hookups, Carl?! I had the Latina ladies working the prep line wrapped around my finger, eating like a king :-D simply amazing that I'm not 400 pounds!

And yesssss the gross waste at a typical fast-food joint is out of this world

 

Jobs that pay similar to more than a regional airline pilot:
(Source careerbuilder.com)

Amusement and recreation attendants: $18,220
Cafeteria, food concession and coffee-shop counter attendants: $17,820
Cashiers: $18,360
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food: $16,700
Dishwashers: $17,060
Fast-food cooks: $16,860
Maids: $19,550
Parking Lot Attendants: $19,320
Shampooers: $17,490
Gaming Dealers: $18,120
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers: $19,570

 

This is all nonsense anyway, because this is only a stepping-stone

 

I know what you said was tongue in cheek, but that is the point of the OP. I find it sad that we just accept this verses putting together a comprehensive report to the Aviation sub committee for when they have their hearings in which roger Cohen (RAA) shows up and says that it is the "industry standard". We are an industry that is controlled by the RLA and cannot deny service as a means of negotiating a fair wage for our highly skilled labor. If we had the same kind of board certification that doctors and lawyers had along with the FAA mandating all 121/135 pilots be board certified, wages would never be an issue. seniority can dictate schedules, holidays and vacation time but wages should be off the table. Uneducated, unskilled, and untrained workers making more than professional pilots is disgusting.

 

And are classified as "non-skilled" labor....