Pilot Pay
10-12-2009, 08:28 AM
#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,235
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Pilots on Food Stamps
By Michael Moore
We're on the descent from 20,000 feet in the air when the flight attendant leans over the elderly woman next to me and taps me on the shoulder.
"I'm listening to Lady Gaga," I say as I remove just one of the ear buds. I know not this Lady Gaga, but her performance last week on SNL was fascinating.
"The pilots would like to see you in the cockpit when we land," she says with a southern drawl.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No. They have something to show you." (The last time an employee of an airline wanted to show me something it was her written reprimand for eating an in-flight meal without paying for it. "Yes," she said, "we have to pay for our own meals on board now.")
The plane landed and I stepped into the cockpit. "Read this," the first officer said. He handed me a letter from the airline to him. It was headlined "LETTER OF CONCERN." It seems this poor fellow had taken three sick days in the past year. The letter was a warning not to take another one -- or else.
"Great," I said. "Just what I want -- you coming to work sick, flying me up in the air and asking to borrow the barf bag from my seatback pocket."
He then showed me his pay stub. He took home $405 this week. My life was completely and totally in his hands for the past hour and he's paid less than the kid who delivers my pizza.
I told the guys that I have a whole section in my new movie about how pilots are treated (using pilots as only one example of how people's wages have been slashed and the middle class decimated). In the movie I interview a pilot for a major airline who made $17,000 last year. For four months he was eligible -- and received -- food stamps. Another pilot in the film has a second job as a dog walker.
"I have a second job!," the two pilots said in unison. One is a substitute teacher. The other works in a coffee shop. You know, maybe it's just me, but the two occupations whose workers shouldn't be humpin' a second job are brain surgeons and airline pilots. Call me crazy.
I told them about how Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger (the pilot who safely landed the jet in the Hudson River) had testified in Congress that no pilot he knows wants any of their children to become a pilot. Pilots, he said, are completely demoralized. He spoke of how his pay has been cut 40% and his own pension eliminated. Most of the TV news didn't cover his remarks and the congressmen quickly forgot them. They just wanted him to play the role of "HERO," but he was on a more important mission. He's in my movie.
"I hadn't heard anywhere that this stuff about the airlines is in this new movie," the pilot said.
"No, you wouldn't," I replied. "The press likes to talk about me, not the movie."
And it's true. I've been surprised (and slightly annoyed) that, with all that's been written and talked about "Capitalism: A Love Story," very little attention has been paid the mind-blowing stuff in the film: pilots on food stamps, companies secretly taking out life insurance policies on employees and hoping they die young so the company can collect, judges getting kickbacks from the private prison industry for sending innocent people (kids) to be locked up. The profit motive -- it's a killer.
Especially when your pilot started his day at 6am working at the local Starbucks.
Pilots on Food Stamps
By Michael Moore
We're on the descent from 20,000 feet in the air when the flight attendant leans over the elderly woman next to me and taps me on the shoulder.
"I'm listening to Lady Gaga," I say as I remove just one of the ear buds. I know not this Lady Gaga, but her performance last week on SNL was fascinating.
"The pilots would like to see you in the cockpit when we land," she says with a southern drawl.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No. They have something to show you." (The last time an employee of an airline wanted to show me something it was her written reprimand for eating an in-flight meal without paying for it. "Yes," she said, "we have to pay for our own meals on board now.")
The plane landed and I stepped into the cockpit. "Read this," the first officer said. He handed me a letter from the airline to him. It was headlined "LETTER OF CONCERN." It seems this poor fellow had taken three sick days in the past year. The letter was a warning not to take another one -- or else.
"Great," I said. "Just what I want -- you coming to work sick, flying me up in the air and asking to borrow the barf bag from my seatback pocket."
He then showed me his pay stub. He took home $405 this week. My life was completely and totally in his hands for the past hour and he's paid less than the kid who delivers my pizza.
I told the guys that I have a whole section in my new movie about how pilots are treated (using pilots as only one example of how people's wages have been slashed and the middle class decimated). In the movie I interview a pilot for a major airline who made $17,000 last year. For four months he was eligible -- and received -- food stamps. Another pilot in the film has a second job as a dog walker.
"I have a second job!," the two pilots said in unison. One is a substitute teacher. The other works in a coffee shop. You know, maybe it's just me, but the two occupations whose workers shouldn't be humpin' a second job are brain surgeons and airline pilots. Call me crazy.
I told them about how Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger (the pilot who safely landed the jet in the Hudson River) had testified in Congress that no pilot he knows wants any of their children to become a pilot. Pilots, he said, are completely demoralized. He spoke of how his pay has been cut 40% and his own pension eliminated. Most of the TV news didn't cover his remarks and the congressmen quickly forgot them. They just wanted him to play the role of "HERO," but he was on a more important mission. He's in my movie.
"I hadn't heard anywhere that this stuff about the airlines is in this new movie," the pilot said.
"No, you wouldn't," I replied. "The press likes to talk about me, not the movie."
And it's true. I've been surprised (and slightly annoyed) that, with all that's been written and talked about "Capitalism: A Love Story," very little attention has been paid the mind-blowing stuff in the film: pilots on food stamps, companies secretly taking out life insurance policies on employees and hoping they die young so the company can collect, judges getting kickbacks from the private prison industry for sending innocent people (kids) to be locked up. The profit motive -- it's a killer.
Especially when your pilot started his day at 6am working at the local Starbucks.
10-12-2009, 08:29 AM
#12
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Right Seat 744
Posts: 946
No I'm not. Just tired of hearing and reading "I have a college degree and I make less than $ XXX a year. I should be paid more".
Those that chose to go to a regional knew what they werre gettting into. If they didnt, shame on them for not doing any research.
Is this a political correct statement...... NO, AND I DONT CARE. JUST TIRED OF ALL THE WHINNING AND COMPLAINING I HEAR.
Those that chose to go to a regional knew what they werre gettting into. If they didnt, shame on them for not doing any research.
Is this a political correct statement...... NO, AND I DONT CARE. JUST TIRED OF ALL THE WHINNING AND COMPLAINING I HEAR.
10-12-2009, 08:40 AM
#14
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,197
No I'm not. Just tired of hearing and reading "I have a college degree and I make less than $ XXX a year. I should be paid more".
Those that chose to go to a regional knew what they werre gettting into. If they didnt, shame on them for not doing any research.
Is this a political correct statement...... NO, AND I DONT CARE. JUST TIRED OF ALL THE WHINNING AND COMPLAINING I HEAR.
Those that chose to go to a regional knew what they werre gettting into. If they didnt, shame on them for not doing any research.
Is this a political correct statement...... NO, AND I DONT CARE. JUST TIRED OF ALL THE WHINNING AND COMPLAINING I HEAR.
10-12-2009, 08:44 AM
#15
11 soon to be 10 days off
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: Left seat, wait right seat, no no left seat, nope right seat! Ummmm, I guess I am confused
Posts: 275
No I'm not. Just tired of hearing and reading "I have a college degree and I make less than $ XXX a year. I should be paid more".
Those that chose to go to a regional knew what they werre gettting into. If they didnt, shame on them for not doing any research.
Is this a political correct statement...... NO, AND I DONT CARE. JUST TIRED OF ALL THE WHINNING AND COMPLAINING I HEAR.
Those that chose to go to a regional knew what they werre gettting into. If they didnt, shame on them for not doing any research.
Is this a political correct statement...... NO, AND I DONT CARE. JUST TIRED OF ALL THE WHINNING AND COMPLAINING I HEAR.
10-12-2009, 08:48 AM
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: 330 B
Posts: 1,622
How about O'Reilly..forget Beck or Hannity for that matter!
10-12-2009, 09:12 AM
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: -400 FO
Posts: 300
I'm glad that he is drawing attention to pilot pay but I'm also glad that he is shedding light on how the banking industry works.
People preach Capitalism but what we have done is Socialized the risk with institutions that are too big to fail. When Wall Street does this I guess that it's ok, because it's Capitalism? We gave the banks over 700 billion dollars and nobody was accountable for what happened to it. Some measure the cost at close to 4 trillion dollars.
I am all for Capitalism but I am not for the corruptness that has been going far too long and I am glad for anyone that tries to point it out.
Pilots chose to work for low wages. Low wages are there for many reasons but they do need to come up, is there any disagreement in that? Pilots don't think they will get stuck at any wage while they are moving up the ladder. The music stopped and now everyone is upset at the level of wage they are working at. Why did the music stop? Because the banks that get a free ride levered up and loaned to everyone with a heartbeat. Wallstreet became a casino and was levered up 30:1 and as much as 60:1 and then crashed and took everything down with them.
This is a credit driven recession. It's going to take some time to get out but the anger should be directed at our banking industry and it's relationship with our government. Michael Moore pointed that out. I already knew that but if you don't I suggest you go see the movie as a starting point. If the movie draws plight to our cause for higher pay then so be it. Maybe people will start buying tickets on something other than the absolute lowest cost.
People preach Capitalism but what we have done is Socialized the risk with institutions that are too big to fail. When Wall Street does this I guess that it's ok, because it's Capitalism? We gave the banks over 700 billion dollars and nobody was accountable for what happened to it. Some measure the cost at close to 4 trillion dollars.
I am all for Capitalism but I am not for the corruptness that has been going far too long and I am glad for anyone that tries to point it out.
Pilots chose to work for low wages. Low wages are there for many reasons but they do need to come up, is there any disagreement in that? Pilots don't think they will get stuck at any wage while they are moving up the ladder. The music stopped and now everyone is upset at the level of wage they are working at. Why did the music stop? Because the banks that get a free ride levered up and loaned to everyone with a heartbeat. Wallstreet became a casino and was levered up 30:1 and as much as 60:1 and then crashed and took everything down with them.
This is a credit driven recession. It's going to take some time to get out but the anger should be directed at our banking industry and it's relationship with our government. Michael Moore pointed that out. I already knew that but if you don't I suggest you go see the movie as a starting point. If the movie draws plight to our cause for higher pay then so be it. Maybe people will start buying tickets on something other than the absolute lowest cost.
Last edited by Luckydawg; 10-12-2009 at 09:36 AM.
10-12-2009, 09:24 AM
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2008
Position: Hotel
Posts: 714
You dont like the pay....... Quit and get a different job that pays you what you believe you're worth. Dont want to quit because you love flying and being an airline pilot....... Stop complaining..... You chose that career and no one put a gun to your head and told you to be a regional pilot.
However, it is getting increasingly difficult to make it in this career. Despite the ideals that people wish for - well rested pilots, ultra trained, ultra experienced, large airplanes for every flight, brand new equipment, etc, when it comes to paying up the money for these things, from a mass scale viewpoint, it will NEVER happen. Couple that with that fact that there are just too many players in the game, none with significant market share, the competition among airlines prevents any attempt at raising prices. Colluding is illegal, so that won't work either.
If another 9/11 happens in the future, the security rules will get even tighter, making that trip to work even more painful - despite the stripes on your shoulders and the requisite background check.
Those who stick around even when all indications continue to show decreased working conditions and greater strife within the industry have either made the decision to ride it out despite anything else, are merely hoping for a miracle (which will likely not happen), or are just turning the other way.
The next group of airline pilots are in the flight schools now, longing to get out of the 172 and into your seat for crap pay and ultimate responsibility. The difference between them and you is that they've only seen the shiny brochures pushed at them by profit seeking flight schools.
10-12-2009, 09:47 AM
#20
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2007
Position: A320 CA
Posts: 1,531
I agree that people know what they're getting into. I disagree that that precludes them from being able to complain about and change their workplace. A little study into Airline flying in the 1930s and 40s should help illustrate this point.
Likewise, there are doctors fresh out of Med School making Regional wages...they also have the right to complain. There are certain industries where individuals leaving over low pay makes no dent in how things are done, and we're in one of those industries...group action is the way.
Likewise, there are doctors fresh out of Med School making Regional wages...they also have the right to complain. There are certain industries where individuals leaving over low pay makes no dent in how things are done, and we're in one of those industries...group action is the way.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
captain_drew
Flight Schools and Training
38
12-05-2012 08:29 AM
