Maintenance Staff

[Helilog56]

The Canadian and USA governments have recently signed a bilateral agreement to allow pilots to cross the border and work within certain requirements.

When the Nafta agreement was signed, aircraft techs (A.M.E. Mech. Etc.) were labled as unskilled blue collar workers. Therefore unable to cross the border and work unless they are with a company for at least 1 year and then apply for a L1 or L2 visa. The Canadian labor board have slotted the aircraft engineers in with otis elevator repairman and other so called unskilled laborers.

The carpenters, plumbers and electricians are classifed as a red seal trade, which means they are a recognized trade (skilled labour) by the Canadian government. Those trades wages begin at $30.00+ an hour and go up from there. Aircraft engineers are not recognized as skilled labour so no border crossing with out difficulty. It is unfortunate that it takes a severe shortage of engineers to get the money up to where it should be, but it still doesn't close the public perception gap between engineers and pilots. Engineers by nature are can do it people, they will take on a problem and solve it with vigor.

I propose that we make the government and public realize we are a very skilled labour force.

The howls of inconvenience will be heard all the way to Ottawa, if aircraft engineers did not work for just 1 day. It is then A.M.E.s will be recognized as skilled labour force such as our partners the pilots.

 

Good luck with that........

[helimat]

This is a driver free zone.... So keep out!!!

[Guest Bullet Remington]

This is a driver free zone.... So keep out!!!

 

I disagree, Helimat. This is NOT a driver free zone. Pileit's are perfectly welcome to add whatever they want here! Of all the people in the qworld, these guys/gals are the ONLY people that know just what we do or are suppose to be doing, to keep their arses in the air! :punk:

 

We can survive fairly well without their opinons, but it makes it a **** of alot easier to have they on our side!

 

Especially when ya gotta go to the person signin the checks and tell them what ya need. :angry:

 

Plus, until I get time to train a Chimpanze to fly a helicopter, we need them to fly the machine.

 

It is a driver's job to fly it, poke holes in the belly, pop rivets from over torqueing, and seals from runnin her too hot, cut down tree with the tail rotor, etc, etc! :shock:

 

Now if I could just train em to do it somewhere nice and warm, without the black flies, life would be good!! :up:

[helimat]

It was a joke.....

Just like his was, I think....

:bleh: :bleh:

I thought the emoticons were supposed to help express emotion... " "

So that people wouldn't get the wrong idea and post a whole page response for nothing!

[new guy]

Well I have to say that coming out of school and having a company take a chance with a new apprentice is good to see. I'm learning a lot of what to do and not to do, the latter seems to be contributing to someone elses drinking. Thats the way it gose.

 

As for wages I have to say what does a company pay a newbie like me to learn and make mistakes and cost them money? Though if the other trades are paying better out of the gate then the disition to stay with aircraft gets harder.I don't expect the same wage as someone who has there licence but when a budy of mine who is a first year apprentice electricen is starting out $ 2-4 more an hour it is a little hard to take.

 

Though I'm not in this to get rich it would be nice to have some money left after bills.

 

As for Helimat in every joke there is some truth spoken. The attiude that was put out there at school about pilots I think sucked. They work as hard as we do dealing with customers and flying in sh**y weather so they have as much right to post here as we do in there forum. Besides without the driver we'ed have no work.

[displayname]

let get the numbers out there. .......companies don't want to loose a guy for a couple dollars and we want what the fair price is. i think what is up so far is about right, but is it? you have to post.

[vintagemilano]

I think a lead base engineer should make the same as the lead pilot on that base. Pool engineers should generally make more than a base engineer when they are out "camping". Contract guys should make more than pool guys, I didn't do that this summer but I was happy at the time with the deal I made, plus the company and I seem to get along well enough.

I know the last few people that I've seen or heard about moving from one company to another, the move was more for quality of life than money. Everyone knows that the industry in general doesn't pay what you would think it would be worth. Everyone knows you can make more working for GM or Toyota and I think as an industry it's going to get worse by quite a bit until the industry starts competing for the sparkle in the eye of young guys coming out of highschool to get them out in the crappy camps where most start out and keeping them there long enough so they don't throw in the towel and go fix computers in Richmond for the same money and usually a life they are more used to.

In the end it's a job, you either love it or hate it, companies have to keep and eye out for those that love it and teach them how to have fun with it now and then.

[Helilog56]

This is a driver free zone.... So keep out!!!

 

Hee Hee.....Helimat, mine "is" a double edged sword and yes, i did take it "tounge in cheek"....

[helimat]

As for Helimat in every joke there is some truth spoken. The attiude that was put out there at school about pilots I think sucked. They work as hard as we do dealing with customers and flying in sh**y weather so they have as much right to post here as we do in there forum. Besides without the driver we'ed have no work.

 

Believe it or not, I have a pretty good idea of the type of adverse conditions our pilots deal with almost daily.

Believe it or not, I believe our operation has to work as a team; pilots, engineers, as well as support staff, all together to be successful.

Believe it or not, statements like 'without a driver, we'ed (I don't know if that is a word) have no work' are obvious and a waste of time, I think most people on here have that figured already, but thank anyways.

Believe it or not, It was a joke...

The driver is the only one that got it! Thanks, Helilog, for helping me out on that one!

 

Back to maintenance staffing, this thread has gone for a poo!

[new guy]

Sorry I didn't mean to affend any body on my first Post. My hands and mouth got going before my brain kicked in.

 

As for pay I feel that if a company is going to take a chance with me and take care of there staff: medical, dental, RRSP contribution maching, Group acttivitys .....etc. I think it will go a long way to keeping staff rather than through money at the problem.... But it would'nt hurt.