Declining Salaries And Benefits!

[hmvrep]

Hi All:

I've been in the silly racket, as a mechanic and driver for over 30 years now. During this time I have suffered the continual decline of the salary and benefits paid to mechanics while those of drivers climbed.

Other than the fact that airlines are owned by pilots, run by pilots and maintain the best interest of pilots, I have often wondered just why we, as mechanics have continued to suffer/allow/tolerate this trend.

I remember 25 years ago, as DOM for a small operator flogging Cessna 206s (4 of them) my salary was @ $61 K Canadian. 25 years later, I have several more endorsements, bigger machines as well as specialty endorsements (Structures and NDT) and my pay is just now getting up to the level it was back then! Go figure!

The other point I was wondering about, and could be that nobody has considered this or just don't give a Jack Squat, is the overall industry pay scale.

Anybody on here have any idea where I can grap information on the salaries of licensed and endorsed A&P / AME?

For those wondering, I work for the Southwest of the Northwest, up in the Great White North!

Can anybody point me in the right direction to find this info??

For those who know and would rather not post, please feel free to PM me and I can provide personal e mails as well as ID.

Cheers

 

[Checking it Out]

Go here and search for current wages: www.aviationtoday.com

Also you can go to google or do a search for aviation wages and check out the different sites.

 

[Buck]

Why not have the members of the TWU look in their contract books?
That is where their wage scales are. If you are looking for an average, combine the topped out rate with the OSM rate. It is not so for you is it.

Of they were never issued any book, except by JetNEt.

 

[hmvrep]

Thanks for the quick response, appreciate that.

I did do the Google search thing, previously. While aviation today does give some figures, there's nothing current, as in 2003.

I was trying to get some idea of SouthWest and EasyJet, that kind of salary base. Primarily because those carriers are operating the same type of service that my employer is operating.

Buck: No it does apply to me. Our company is not unionized, and from my point of view, I hope it never becomes unionized. Unfortunately, I don't believe it will continue that way. In is inevitable taht the management, at the maintenance level, will force a union into the company. When that happens, the rank and file will be in no other position but to ratify a union, of one type or another.

Hopefully when that happens, I can pull the pin and retire.

Thanks again, people.

 

[Buck]

Southwest mechanics are some of the highest paid in the industry. Somewhere around $36 and climbing. As for EasyJet, is that part of American Eagle?

 

[Checking it Out]

When you do a comparison of wages keep in Mind over 50% of the work from the majors like united,Alaska,Southwest, Northwest and others. You will have to go and see what the 3rd party Maintenance companies are paying.

If you go and start a business and specialise in a peticular area you can receive higher pay. Problem with this is you need contacts. There is several temp companies now that have also distorted the pay.

Southwest outsources a lot of their Maintenance, so you will need to look at the vendors pay to get a true reading of the average cost.

The average for the Majors is about 27.00 dollars and the average for the 3rd party drops to 20.00 dollars +/-. This drops the average to 25.00 +/- .If you go into management or specialist areas they pay more.

The new Airplanes coming out looks like they will have sensors built in to the components to tell when the part needs repaired or replaced which will have a long term affect on employment.

Currently their is Thousands of laid off workers to take a position and this is also has lowering the pay.

Lots of Luck,

 

[Hopeful]

Speaking of sensors that warn of part failure, a buddy of mine who works for Northrop-Grumman told me that they are now working on metal that would detect early warning of metal fatigue and stress. I guess you can't fight technology.

 

[hmvrep]

Buck:

Yes, you are right. I am aware that Southwest farms out the Heavy Maintenance.
As do we. Am also aware what the vendors pay their people. Usually, more that what we are earning.. If we compare it to the salaries paid by the MROs in the SouthLand (USA) it is a bit lower after doing the conversion from US dollars to Canadian, the US people pay more.

Benefit wise, I'm not too sure. Last time I worked down that way it was for AWA, and I wasn't very impressed with the salary nor the benefits.

I also have my own AMO (Canadian version of FAA Repair Station). I won't touch anything over 12,500 lbs. Too much of a pain in the butt.

As for EasyJet, they are a company operating out of England. Last trip to Boeing in Seattle, they were the only company besides us buying new aircraft.

As for the new technology. the NG series from Boeing has a hockey sock full of computers on everything! Sensors are all over the place. With the Dispalys units in the cockpit tied into, one way or another to fairly well everything.

Landing gear postion is sensed by Prox targets, sensing "near" "far" etc. These are all tied together by the PSEU. Most everything in the E & E Bay has a digital display on it, logging codes for each flight leg and of course one can do a BIT test to see what codes are displayed.

Information on updates, type of gear installed, can be carried out by an interface, located just to the right of the # 1 jump seat in the cockpit.

When one gets the code, one checks the FIM, (Fault Isolation Manual) to carry out trobleshooting. Soe times the system expedites the situation, soemtimes not.

Such is the way of things better and brighter. Or so they tell us.

Presonally, I'm waiting to see how all this PFM stuff operates when the machines start to get over 10, 15,000 hours.

Only time will prove or dis prove all this stuff.

Cheers

 

[Buck]

The average for majors was dropped greatly with the introduction of the B-scale and SRP/OSM classifications. The only increase in the average was gained at the Presidential Emergency Board where Northwest mechanics pushed the average wellinto the low $30's. Also at that point at American I received a 22% increase and then the TWU conceded it away. This may be where the $27 average comes from.

 

[hmvrep]

Buck:

Thanks for the update. I had no idea what American was paying. Be awhile for us up here in CYYC to get up to that level. Highest paid mechanics on this side of the border was at Scare Canada. That's dropped since they've been in Chapter 11.

Then again, it was expected. When you have a company that's pays baggage handlers the same, and in some cases more than licensed mechs, any idoit (or at least the ones running the company) should have known it was but a matter of time.

Industry wise, how are the job openings on that side of the border? (Nope, I ain't looking to come down that way!) Very little happening at the bigger operators, some opening and adverts at the smaller operators, usually up North, and some freight do outfits.

Cheers