It's got a long ways to go before "rock bottom" what with people concerned about illegal strikes...

UP or OUT. This is what appears to be the path these days. The regional level should never be, nor should have ever been, the end career level. It is a path. Anyone who gets too comfortable there should be nervous. Life will become increasingly more painful to endure and ever less rewarding.

Is it not clear now what corporate is "saying" with these contracts?

Good news for the young and eager; bad news for the lifers...wherever you intended to hang your hat. UP or OUT.

Your career path and education have probably been more satisfying and relevant than mine??? Where do you get this from? What a stupid statement as you have NO idea who I even am. Well, that pretty much tells everybody all they need to know about you! How in the heck did I insult you? You wanted to know why some of us (a LOT of us) are upset about the PSA TA and you're acting as though just because we're flying regionals that we don't have a right to a decent pay check or quality of life. That makes it appear you might not know much about this particular level of the airline industry.

The regional airline industry has been very good to me and I personally don't have too many complaints because I've made some smart/lucky decisions as to where to go and how long to stay. That being said, I've seen a lot of my fellow pilots who have not been so lucky...doesn't mean I don't care about them. How does not wanting to see a group settle for a 5 year extension on an already lowball contract with pay caps translate into ME, ME, ME? You think that this is for job security? Why do you want THAT kind of job security where you have to continue to lower your compensation.

Do you actually believe that management CARES if you end up at mainline or not? You think that they encouraged this in an effort to get you to further your own career??? I just have to laugh. This is all about squeezing every penny they can get out of their pilots and getting all the flying they can to line their own pockets, that's all. I don't even know why I responded so you. It's like saying, "Look, I promise not to expect any more compensation from you if you'll just let me keep this job and my cool uniform."

The lives of the flying public are in our hands, you don't act like you realize what the true value of that job is. Again, I have to laugh that you would believe your life is sooo much better and you have no clue who I am or what my situation is. Thanks for the laugh...

Except that you are advocating the exact opposite of "one level of safety".

So you think that making pay and quality of life at the regionals as poor as possible is a good thing so people aren't tempted to stay there for the long term? That seems to be your point in trying to prevent an Eagle situation. I agree that we should strive to move on to the mainline side of things but it doesn't mean life at the regional level needs to be such a grind.

As for the job security, look at the shortage that is starting to show it's face. Great Lakes doesn't have enough FOs. Republic can't staff it's Q400 fleet. Theses are just preliminary, early signs. The majors haven't even ramped up yet. It's going to get worse. We have plenty of job security. If you don't see the signs you are ignorant.

The emotional hate being spewed, although I don't agree with some of it, is still understood. All of our attempts at making life better for regional pilots just got sh@t on. I am as ****ed off as anyone else on here. To say someone who is upset has "me me me" at the heart of their frustration shows you don't understand the issue. This is about "us us us". Anyone on here who is ****ed off about the PSA contract is ****ed because our chance at unifying has been undermined. I wouldn't deny a jump seat but I sure would spend the time together with a YES voter making that pilot think long and hard about what the consequences of their vote are. I would spend the time with a PSA NO voter trying to convince them they deserve better than to work at an operation that gives no value to the work they do. I use this number over and over again to prove a point: $409,000,000 pre tax profit over 3 months (2nd quarter). Think about that much money going into management's hands. Now you are giving up pay raises beyond year 4 and 12? Paying even more for insurance? They only are contractually required to give you 1 airplane? You only get an interview? Unbelievable.

Deleted............

Lol. Cat got your tongue?

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...%20Victory.jpg

try the last 16 years...

You can NOT plan to destroy your ability to earn a living at a regional, on the hopes that you will go to a mainline job later. You are one 9-11 away from being a lifer at a regional through no fault of your own. A major war, an economic collapse... a host of things could happen that will result in you staying exactly where you are now, perhaps even displacing back to FO if you're a CA... or being furloughed if your an FO. Your best bet is to make your job the best it can be, not sell it out on the hopes of going elsewhere. Don't be a sell out. Besides, do you really think a mainline HR department staffed with line Captains wants a bunch of pilots who have proven they can't even stand up for themselves? You guys have FO's on food stamps and in poverty wages and you're still accepting concessions from PROFITABLE companies? Please do NOT come to my airline and infect our pilot group with that kind of negotiating skill. No wonder we prefer to hire military pilots, they've proven they will fight for something.

Do Doctors force their young to work for poverty wages for years and years at a time... are all General Practicioners just "apprentice" Doctors until they become specialists? Do they go back to appretice wages simply by changing employer?

Do lawyers force their young to work for poverty wages for years and years? are all of them "apprentice" lawyers until they become an associate? Are their rates any cheaper? Do they go back to apprentice wages simply by changing law firms?

Do Carpenters, Plumbers or Electricians go back to being apprentices if they switch jobs?

You have a lot of growing up to do. Please do so before coming to a mainline company. We can't afford you.

You know there are thousands of men and women who are independent since they were 17 and 18 in our US military. Oh wait, but they are putting their lives on the line for this country. So what's your point and/or contribution? If I had to pick the smarter of the 2, you don't win. Like another poster stated, we are one 911 away from another airline stone age. The intent of the CBA is trying to force people out of career RJ position and into the mainline, that's so ridiculous. They could care less if you leave the top of their seniority list and go haul garbage as long as they can replace you with a zombie for cheap.