Without reading all this trash... I went to an aviation class last winter. One of my classmates for the 6-week class was an ex-GM employee that accepted a layoff package. He had been an USAF air traffic controller for a number of years, but he was too old (32!) to even *apply* for a job in the private sector. That's off the point, but here's what he told me:

He was working as a GM forklift operator, with about five years experience. He got paid _$65_ _an_ _hour_. He worked three 8-hour shifts during the week, and every other Sunday, he worked a 12-hour shift at TRIPLE OVERTIME. That's $195 an hour, to wheel fluff around on a forklift. Not saying the job doesnt require some coordination, but that's fluffing outrageous. Even during the week, $65 is insane. I work in a very safety-sensitive high-up job in an airline, and make less than a third of that. I'd like more, but I'm happy knowing that my airline is one that's consistently made money over the last few years of troubles in aviation. I gladly don't fluff too much about pay raises, because I know we can currently sustain ourselves indefinitely. Much easier to sleep knowing your job's going to last than it is making a quick buck at the sake of being volatile.

On that subject, though... I might be pretty well fluffed if the feds drop Essential Air Service off the national budget, as well as probably a good 300 other employees in my company. That's not even mentioning the detriment to local economies when these small airports can no longer maintain a scheduled flight service.

Shrug, definitely sidetracked at the end... just my two cents.