John Prater - President, Airline Pilot's Association

So it's raining outside

Well, as anyone close to me knows - I haven't been doing much flying this month. Not that I haven't been available, just that my employer hasn't called me much to work.

Getting paid either way, so - so be it. Been called four times. First to come and sit ready reserve at the airport for eight hours, no flying though. Second call was to notify me of a day line earlier this week, flew 4hrs and 45 minutes, paid for 4hrs and 48 minutes. Third call yesterday evening to notify me of a two-trip that starts on Saturday at 9am, with an overnight in New Jersey. Fourth call was this afternoon to be notified that the previous mentioned two-day trip has been reassigned.

So, that's it. What's really funny is that I actually had a message from the FO taking the two-day trip on Facebook telling me that I should be getting a call shortly. Small world I tell you. The trip was reassigned for training.

All of the pilots who were on the ATR-72 are currently in training for the CRJ-200, some of them must be nearing the end of their training and as such are they are getting sent out for OE (Operational Experience).

But hey - another weekend at home (or so it looks like) to watch College football, and study for an upcoming LOFT (Line Oriented Flight Training) event in November.

When you see an Airline Pilot. . .

-When you see a pilot going through the same security you go through, he's not being paid.

-When you see a pilot walking in the terminal, he's not being paid.

-When you see a pilot at the gate pulling up paper work, planning the flight, and conferring with the agent, he's not being paid.

-When you see a pilot walking around the aircraft doing a preflight inspection, he's not being paid.

-When you board the aircraft and look in the cockpit and see the pilots setting up the aircraft, they're not getting paid.

-When you land safely at your destination and walk off the aircraft and see the pilots shutting down the aircraft, they're not being paid.

-When you see a pilot waiting for a ride to a hotel for the night, he's not being paid.

-The only time the pilot of your aircraft is getting paid is when you DON"T see him... when he's locked behind the cockpit door as you push back from the gate. Every thing else he does until this point is for free. For no wages. Nothing!

-The average airline pilot is at work for 12- 14 hours per day, yet gets paid for less than 6 - 7 hours.

-The average airline pilot is away from home, at work, for 70+ hours a week, yet gets paid for only 15 to 18 hours per weeks work.

A few bits of John McCain information.

JOHN McCAIN THREATENS OUR JOBS, RIGHTS AND SAFETY

Wants to Privatize Essential Aviation Safety Jobs. McCain voted to privatize the air traffic control system and to allow the government to transfer these functions to private companies, putting jobs and safety at risk. (H.R. 2115, Vote 453, 11/17/03; S. 824, Vote 222, 6/12/03)

Mistakenly Believes That Contract Towers Are as Safe as FAA Towers. McCain has said that “contract towers are just as safe—or in some cases safer—as FAA staffed towers.” He supports privatizing air traffic control jobs and says they aren’t “inherently government workers.” (Aviation Week, 9/8/03, 12/15/03)

Opposes Collective Bargaining Rights for Aviation Workers. McCain repeatedly has tried to undermine aviation workers’ collective bargaining rights by supporting unfair baseball-style arbitration that takes away our right to strike and vote on a final contract. (S. 1327, 8/2/01)

Will Turn Over Our Jobs to Foreign Airlines. McCain pushed to allow foreign control of U.S. airlines and to allow foreign airlines to operate on American air routes, threatening aviation jobs. This would create a race to the bottom for wages, resulting in the outsourcing of flight attendant jobs to the lowest foreign bidder. (S.Amdt. 3619 to H.R. 4939, 4/26/06; ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00)

Helped Outsource Aviation Manufacturing Jobs. McCain voted to send defense technology and aviation manufacturing jobs to Japan, without guaranteeing that American companies would share in the work. (S.Amdt. 101 to S.J.Res. 113, Vote 67, 5/16/89; S.Amdt. 102, Vote 66, 5/16/89; S.J.Res. 113, Vote 175, 9/14/89)

Supports Permanently Replacing Striking Workers. McCain voted twice for a bill that allows companies to fire or replace lawfully striking workers. (ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00; S. 55, Vote 121, 6/16/92; S. 55, Vote 189, 7/13/94)

Voted Against Rehiring Air Traffic Control Strikers. McCain voted in 1986 against rehiring 1,000 PATCO workers who were fired after going on strike in 1981. The measure was intended to stem the air traffic controller deficit and enhance air travel safety. (H.R. 5205, Vote 267, 7/30/86)

Blocked FedEx Workers from Forming a Union. McCain voted to block FedEx workers from forming a union so that they could bargain for better wages, health care and a voice on the job. (H.R. 3539, Vote 304, 10/3/96)

Opposes Protections for Overseas Flight Crews. McCain said he opposes labor protections for airline flight crews working overseas. (ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00)

Opposed Union Rights for Airport Screeners. McCain supported Bush’s declaration that union rights for airport screeners are a terrorism risk and voted against giving them collective bargaining rights. (S.Amdt. to S. 4, Vote 64, 3/7/07; American Prospect, “Screening on the Cheap,” 3/1/03)

Put Our Lives at Risk While Flying. McCain opposed meaningful aviation security measures. He voted to gut flight attendant anti-terrorism training requirements; fought funding for air marshals, TSA security and explosion-detection systems; and supported $725 million in cuts to aviation security programs. (H.R. 2115, Vote 453, 11/17/03; McCain press release on S. 2537, 9/15/04; S.Con.Res. 83, Vote 59, 3/16/06)

Helped Send Union Aviation Manufacturing Jobs to France. McCain strongly influenced the U.S. Air Force to award Airbus, rather than Boeing, a $35 billion contract to build Air Force refueling tankers. This deal would destroy 44,000 union jobs. (Lobbyist Disclosure Database, accessed 3/11/08; Associated Press, 3/11/08; Time.com, 3/11/08; Mobile Register, 1/16/07; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3/7/08; Washington Post, 6/20/08; GAO press release, 6/18/08)

Called Efforts to Address Flight Attendant Fatigue ‘Ridiculous.’ McCain called research studying the effects of flight attendant fatigue “ridiculous” and listed it with research on blackbirds and blueberries as government waste. As rest periods are reduced, chronic fatigue is a growing problem, jeopardizing our ability to perform safety duties. (McCain Statement on Lobbying and Ethics Reform Bill, 1/4/07)

Opposed Strict Oversight of Foreign Repair Stations. McCain opposed routine FAA safety inspections of foreign repair stations that perform maintenance on American commercial aircraft. These safeguards would ensure aircraft safety, improve aviation security and protect American jobs. (S.Amdt. 914 to S. 824, Vote 224, 6/12/03)

Left Aviation Workers Behind After 9/11. McCain voted against unemployment, job-training and health benefits for thousands of laid-off aviation workers after Sept. 11, 2001. (S.Amt. 1855 to S. 1447, Vote 293, 10/11/01)

Destroys Collective Bargaining Through Bankruptcy. McCain backed Eastern Airlines’ bankruptcy plan, which destroyed 43,000 jobs. He supported letting airlines use bankruptcy to destroy collective bargaining agreements and refused to support corporate bankruptcy law reform to better protect our contracts and right to strike. (H.R. 1231, Vote 276, 10/26/89; H.R. 1231, Vote 273, 10/26/89; H.R. 1231, Vote 222, 10/3/89; S. 2092, 2007)

Opposes Buy American Provisions That Protect Our Jobs. McCain voted to waive Buy American laws for defense systems and to exempt six European countries from Buy American requirements, placing our jobs in jeopardy. He has said he “firmly objects” to these job-protecting provisions and has even called them “ludicrous.” (S. 2400, Vote 135, 6/22/04; S. 1050, Vote 191, 5/21/03; Congressional Record, 7/14/05, 10/7/05)

Says Pilots Are Greedy. McCain spoke out against pilots, claiming that the reason they go on strike is to “satisfy their personal greed.” (Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Hearing on Air Traffic Control, 9/14/00)

Believes Pilots Are Careless. McCain accused airline pilots striking for better wages and benefits of being thoughtless. McCain said, “A large number of these pilots are former military men and women whose code is supposed to be duty, honor and country. Now they take actions without a thought for the Americans that rely upon them.” (Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Hearing on Air Traffic Control, 9/14/00)

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain_aviation.cfm

A tick tacking . . .

Really nothing to speak of to be honest. My experiment with scheduling appears to be nearing a close.

Over the past few months I've been making an attempt to place myself in a position that would yield more than the average flying for a reserve pilot. That means, bidding on the early morning reserve periods, and selecting yourself as Call Me First. July, and August were good months, August being the best month thus far.

Knowing that the summer schedule would be leaving, and the Fall transition schedule would be coming into place I wanted to see how much of a difference it would mean as far as me actually going to work on my days that I'm available.

Well, I have enough data to conclusively say that my performance in July and August are directly related to the summer schedule, when the average line value was in the mid-80's (Block hours). Our current schedule's average line value is actually less than our minimum monthly guarantee, somewhere around the 74 hour mark. Which, to be honest, is great. I would much rather have a company that has more lines available to be bid on by regular pilots, with the average line value closer to our minimum monthly guarantee as that indicates to me that they are making an effort to utilize the man power available in a better fashion. Trouble is, that as a very junior reserve pilot - that means less opportunities for me to work.

Which, overall - I'm fine with. On one hand, it affords me enough time to focus on some school work; even if I don't want to. On the other the instability of the industry still poses a serious risk to my ability to provide for my family.

This game is one that I would like to be able to trust and rely on, but unfortunately one in my position really can not do such a thing. The moment you trust your management team to guide your through tough times they'll chew you up, spit you out, and send you to the street. Moments after they told you it would all be well.

The aviation industry is ripe with historical references to poor managers, who tell their employees one thing and moments later (days, weeks, months, and years) after the the fact they end up doing something 180 degrees from what they stated. This type of behavior is what breads the animosity between work groups and management.

I would like to be proved wrong, and would love to see that my suspicions about my management team and my own assumptions about my career are incorrect. Only time will tell, but really - most of us don't have time. We grew up with the understanding that one day you'll enter the job force. You can expect to spend your adult life with the same company. At the end, you'll have a pension and can retire and enjoy the rest of your life free from the stresses of full time employment, enjoying the finer things such as your family or perhaps global travel.

Oh how things have changed. The American aviation industry has blown up, with competitors racing each other to the bottom of the fare market, seeking the lowest class of passenger possible. . .while passing on the increasing costs to their employee groups rather than to the consumer like every other industry. What does that leave?

It leaves disgruntled work groups who are tired of seeing their company continue to fail, even after giving concessionary agreements to reduce pay while their company restructures itself for "success." It means watching the customers that we all work very hard for, continue to show us little respect for achieving the mission. It means, watching out management team continue to pass the increasing cost of operating the company not onto the consumer who purchases the goods, but onto the backs of labor who will - in an effort to maintain their jobs - accept any work conditions that still provide a paycheck on the 15th and last day of the month.

A shame really, and absolute shame.

More importantly - the cycle of young, naive individuals who want to fly for a living fail to realize, or even grasp the growing instability. They don't care. They just want to fly, and wear a spiffy little uniform. Whatever illusions of a career they have in their mind doesn't matter. They don't respect the hard work put forth by those who came before them, and they certainly are not taking an active role in realizing what must be done to protect the profession from themselves.

We as pilots tend to be our worst enemy. We want to move on, we want to fly larger equipment, for more pay, and enjoy the benefits. We, most of us at least, grew up in this industry. Seeing the great lifestyles of those who we grew up around. We want a piece of that pie as well, but unfortunately we have seen a growing outsourcing of quality jobs to sub-contract, small-lift providing companies who pay their pilots 80% of what their mainline pilot groups were making for flying the same routes 10-15 years ago - before the boom in Regional Jet traffic.

So what are we - as professionals - to do? Suffer? Leave? Make an effort to improve?

Tough choices are ahead, but more importantly we must educate EVERYONE who is contemplating joining the profession. We must make sure they understand the ramifications of them joining a profession where respect from your company and management is zero, and where you're going to be treated like shit until you retire.