About airline employees
May. 17th, 2005 08:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Airlines have been problematic employers for a very long time--I don't think I've heard of so many broken contracts (this is usually describes as re-negotiating with the union) in any other industry.
I realize that it can be very hard to switch lines of work if one is ill-paid or has a lot of obligations, but that's the short term. It doesn't explain why people get training for airline jobs early on when they presumably have more options, and I think airlines have been trouble to work for for decades.
I'm not trying to blame the victims--I'm observing that people are doing something which seems to make very little sense, and I'm curious about why.
I realize that it can be very hard to switch lines of work if one is ill-paid or has a lot of obligations, but that's the short term. It doesn't explain why people get training for airline jobs early on when they presumably have more options, and I think airlines have been trouble to work for for decades.
I'm not trying to blame the victims--I'm observing that people are doing something which seems to make very little sense, and I'm curious about why.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 01:09 pm (UTC)Also, many (most?) young people aren't thinking long-term, and, especially in the current economy, aren't thinking they'll necessarily wind up in the same industry, much less with the same company, that they start with. So the training, if available, makes some sense.
Personally, I'm concerned that I haven't heard about the unions whose pensions just got trashed by the court trying to make an issue out of equalizing the loss for management (that is, having THEIR pensions, still safe in the company's hands, suffer the same fate). Or have I just missed it?
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 01:13 pm (UTC)Passion.
[I also suspect that many pilots are ex-Air Force, for whom civilian piloting would be a natural career path.]
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 02:11 pm (UTC)I've heard a similar argument for why airlines exist at all in spite (so it's claimed) of generally not being profitable.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 02:41 pm (UTC)Also because if you go into the air force, airlines are your natural next thing when you come out.
Also "ill-paid" and "bad conditions" are relative, and airlines looks good if you come from a background of worse pay and worse conditions.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 03:53 pm (UTC)