Agree with your post now, Doug,
but i still think u mistaken me for someone else :-)
Anyways , in most of the cases it is impossible to leave the negotiation of such and important thing like minimum wages,or maximum working hours, minimum rest etc to "pilots". The governments and also the authorities need to be involved, or we will always face at least 10% of the pilots that will go the "extra mile" (to the bottom) and lower the T&C or even fly that little more, and go around that little less....see where i am going with this? when the management can say what they want to us, they couldnt fight the law that will be valid for all of us as the Class 1 medical, the ATPL Theory, and all that we have in common with each other. And if anyone of you think that this will create a problem for struggling airlines to cope, i answer let them die and lets see how many pilots a group of solid, profit making airlines can hire, i bet the same number of pilots that now are struggling to make a living while flying a single 737 of an airline fleet of 1...what we need are more pilots and less directors of this, director of that...less airlines, more planes, better rules, more respect, less cutting corners, more barriers to enter the market both for pilots and airlines! half of the 18 years old guys wouldnt pass an airline selection for a cadetship nowdays, let them face with the harsh truth!