Federal Minimum Wage for Duty Time
 

Has anyone thought about pushing for the Federal Minimum Wage of $7.25/hr for all duty time outside of flight time? It would bring regional airline pilots up to a living wage and would instantly solve the pilot shortage. Am I dreaming? Would this get through congress?

This is something I could get behind.....The airlines would really cry foul over it though. They complained about 117 and that was only a 5% or so payroll increase. This would turn out to be a pretty massive number.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov

There's no doubt the RAA would kick and scream. But after 117 and the ATP rule I believe anything can happen. And since everyone has to follow the law everyone's cost go up equally nobody gets an unfair advantage. In the name of keeping small town USA from losing air service I think we just might have something. There has been a lot of coverage in the media lately about the pilot shortage but nobody has an easy answer. Americans love a quick fix and this would be the mother of all quick fixes.

For mainline pilots it's a drop in the bucket but for starving regional FO's it would be a significant raise. It brings everybody out of poverty with no need to spend years negotiating raises. A one time across the board raise for everyone.

Airlines fall under the Railway Labor Act and federal minimum wage laws do not apply.

When I was a banner tower, thy used to pay me $7.25 when I was not flying and at work. I can tell you it does makes a difference. That's the way it should be...

$7.25 when on duty and not flying and per diem for every hour you're in the overnight.

Actually I think this is a terrible job. It would be a pay cut for most people.

4 day trip average duty of 12 hours @ $7.25 = $348
4 day trip @ $36 and hour for 16 hour trip (call that average FO pay across the industry the flight time is probably low though) = $576

Even for a new hire it is a bad deal @ $22 for the same trip (probably a good average rate for a new hire) = $352

That minimum wage number would have to come up a lot in order to make it worthwhile.

I think he is talking about getting paid min. wage on duty time in addition to flight pay!?

That's not how the minimum wage works.

Quoting again.

Why not propose a contract that uses TAFB as payment. Works out to be around the same for entry FOs. Which is very sad, considering you are responsible for 50 lives or so. 7.25 per hour would bring it just shy of 33 per flight hour. I believe we need to get paid more than McDonalds workers, but again min wage does not apply.