Originally Posted by
Revolutionary
There is a common fear amongst union members that PHI will return to the dark old days of the Suggs's if the union doesn't score a victory. That wages and benefits will be slashed and people could be fired for looking at an area manager the wrong way. But let's be sensible. PHI will have to compete with other companies to attract and retain pilots from a limited pool of prospects. It stands to reason that they will continue to try and make it an appealing place to work. I mean c'mon, it's 2006. I know it's Louisiana but it's not exactly a plantation we're talking about here.
You make a good point, but I wonder if you've considered the full effect on the industry if PHI's union is broken. In the GoM the only other pilots union is Air Log's. Without PHI for mutual support they would undoubtedly become the target of an unrelenting assault to accomplish the same end. If Air Log's union were broken as well, the industry would be back to relying on the benevolence of our employers for all pay, benefits, and working conditions. Yes, there's still a shortage of experienced pilots, but we've seen how quick PHI was to lower its standards.
If this were to become the case, I'd expect pay and benefits to stagnate, losing value with each passing year. The only hope for keeping salaries on an upward trend would then be the customers, on whose shoulders would fall the responsibility for maintenance of strict standards for pilot qualifications and experience.
But salaries are only a relatively small part of my concern. Unfettered by a union, there would be even less incentive for companies to heed the concerns of pilots regarding operational and safety issues they face on a daily basis.
-Stan-