bb,
I am not missing your point - I would be happy to pay more if it would benefit the pilot/ instructor.
However, my counter-point, which perhaps you are missing, was and is that operators look at pilots/ instructors as extremely expendable, and it wouldn't matter how much I handed over to the company, the pilot/ instructor would still get the same lousy pay packet. Please don't try to tell me it wouldn't be so.
Your reasoning that market pressures have kept the rates too low is ridiculous. All other industries are competitive, some moreso, bosses have to pay their workforce the award, and yet they still manage to make money
shock horror! The difference with aviation is a great surplus of pilots who love what they do, which Mr/s Operator realise and take advantage of.
If you carefully reread my previous post, I didn't say companies should pay above award wages, I said the companies (at current rates) could afford to pay award, and above award by raising their rates modestly. As an example, two similar rival companies have very similar rates (due to the competition), one pays the award, the other well below. Why? One operator is greedier than the other, and realises how easy it is to get replacement pilots?
The point I was trying to make was that there is enough money in GA to give your workforce a fair share, and your company will benefit in the ways I listed.
So, if we had an enforceable award, then all companies would be on an equal footing from the wages aspect, they would have an excuse to raise their rates to cover the increase in cost, and Joe Bloggs and myself would have to pay an extra whatever bucks an hour.
You get your rate increase, I get my pay rise and we're all happy
sweet!