Canada Ponders Equal Pay

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Canada Ponders Equal Pay

By Rob on January 31, 2006 at 04:02 am

Canada's top court has given the country's human rights commission the go-ahead to investigate whether flight attendants should be paid the same as pilots and airline mechanics.

The case involving Air Canada employees dates back 15 years.

Right. Because doing the safety spiel and serving the passengers drinks is exactly as challenging and frought with responsibility as being the pilot responsible for landing the plane or the mechanic responsible for making sure the engines don't quit mid-flight.

Comments

Sounds like the opening shot in a contraqct negotiation---you always ask high in order to settle for a reasonable wage.

Don’t you agree that workers have the right to bargain collectively?

Don Myers on January 31, 2006 at 05:02 am

After all a flight attendent has the exact same skill set as a McDonalds worker.

Except of course the McDonald’s employees don’t get to sit in the back of the plane for three hours every flight.

The Whistler on January 31, 2006 at 06:01 am

I don’t think they should be paid the same as pilots, but you obviously have no idea what the responsibilities of flight attendants entail.

modern instances on January 31, 2006 at 09:01 am

I guess I think in terms of “what is the impact if they fail in their job?”

If a flight attendant fails in his/her job, it means that I have to figure out the seatbelt myself, we don’t get beverages, we’d have to close our own bins, and… ?

If a mechanic or pilot fails in his/her job, it means the plane may fall from the sky.

caseydk on January 31, 2006 at 10:01 am

Don Myers said, Don’t you agree that workers have the right to bargain collectively?

Yes, but that’s a completely different issue.

likwidshoe on January 31, 2006 at 10:01 am

The article continued on “… also janitors are arguing that they should by law earn the same as the highest paid lawyer in the country. ‘It’s just not fair that I should have to change this trash can’s bag, yet that guy gets to write on some paper for a living. Sure I didn’t go to college for 12 years, but I should be compensated!’”

Digger on January 31, 2006 at 12:01 pm

I don’t think they should be paid the same as pilots, but you obviously have no idea what the responsibilities of flight attendants entail.

I found a NWA flight attendent forum for once. I used the same line and aside from opening up a hissy-fit-nest I won the arguement.

Aside from the fact that they receive a minumum of first aid courses (which could easily be taught to anyone) they don’t have to do more than any McDonalds counter person. (Not taking away anything away from the fry guy).

“Make sure you have your seat tray locked in the upright position”.

“Would you like fries with your Big Mac”.

Aside from that I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth from the kid at McD’s.

The Whistler on January 31, 2006 at 03:01 pm

I quote from my liberalism article

Liberalism, Modern, “practically summed up” by Ruskin, in “the denial or neglect of the quality and intrinsic worth in things, the incapacity of discerning or refusal to discern worth and unworth in anything, and least of all in man.”

Boy is that coming home to roast in Canada.

docdave on January 31, 2006 at 03:01 pm

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