..and for all of you youngsters on brand new, bought contracts.
The only reason for you having a contract job today is that there still are relics like me and my colleagues fighting for contracts signed a long time ago. Contracts that the beancounters think are way to expensive in todays world and try to circumnavigate even though both senioritylists and payscales where invented by employers to make sure that skilled and expensively trained labour would stay inhouse.
The funny thing is that if the pilotcommunity worldwide would agree on becoming contractors overnight tonight, every beancounter,shareholder and contractor would be in the ****. Shoulderdeep for the longterm.
Why?
Because only experience would matter.
The only way to keep costs down (insurance etc.) would be to attract experienced pilots. The only way to attract experienced, current pilots is pay and benefits.
What would you bitch about then, when times change and you would have to adapt to the new order? Still no good jobs and experienced pilots picking 6-60 month contracts where and when the market forces dictate.
Be very careful what you wish for, newbies and management alike.