AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

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Pat Richard
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Pat Richard »

NeverBlue wrote:
You see when you make only $50K/Year in Calgary you will need a loan for everything(Car, House, Motorcycle, etc...) you most likely will not get approved, but you will need them.
Thanks for proving my point.

Nobody "Needs" a mortgage from buying a house if you make $50K

Nobody "Needs" a Car payment, Mortgage Payment, Motorcycle payment, Boat payment, etc...if you make $50K.


Take the bus and rent an apartment until you can afford it.


...that's simple Logic

Simple logic would also indicate not to take 18 months of your life and potentially better part of 20G to throw away on a trade that forces you to have to bus it to work after your studies are done. In the Calgary's and Vancouver's, you will never be able to get into a house on a encore type wage.
Maybe a nice campervan.

How logical
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brownbear
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by brownbear »

18 months is one thing, it took me 5 years to get licenced and 11 exams.

Most college grads are over 2 years after college to get licenced only to be liven it up with 22-25 an hour. That aint right.

Air canada is strange model to compare within the industry. I had a friend working there around 98-99. Wages were good, but the guys took advantage of their situation and didn't work very hard. So over the years it comes back to bite them. Guys reading papers on shift etc, it had a very bad culture established. Not all at the fault of the AMEs, management allows this to occur and develop.

But the rest of the industry certainly varies. You have small operators who pay better than big operators and sometimes the reverse.

About half of AME's like unions and the other half doesn't. The guys making good money at small operators would have no use for a union. Ive never had use, but I do feel like it's US that need to set the pay scales in the industry and establish national pay rates.

Neverblue has a view that isn't shared by many AMEs that I have met over my 20 years. And I am not saying just on here, cause of course people come here to complain, I mean what I have observed, as an AME and a PRM.
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NeverBlue
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by NeverBlue »

Guys reading papers on shift etc, it had a very bad culture established. Not all at the fault of the AMEs, management allows this to occur and develop.
...of course it's not their fault...they were told they'd be reading the papers all day when they were hired.

Unbelievable.
Neverblue has a view that isn't shared by many AMEs that I have met over my 20 years. 
Yep...every AME in Canada hates their job...can't afford a house...and lives in Vancouver or Calgary two of the most expensive places in Canada to live.
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Stumper
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Stumper »

NeverBlue wrote:
Yep...every AME in Canada hates their job...can't afford a house...and lives in Vancouver or Calgary two of the most expensive places in Canada to live.
Pretty much.. The rest are in Sioux Lookout or Fort Assiniboine making $48,000 signing sh!? That shouldn't be flying. Lamenting over the pretty girl that chose not to bother move or wait.. If they hold on long enough they might one day have access to a bus too.. But no pension; that's reserved for real trades.
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Last edited by Stumper on Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
azimuthaviation
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by azimuthaviation »

Stumper wrote:The rest are in Sioux Lookout or Fort Assiniboine making $48,000 signing sh!? That shouldn't be flying
Fort Assiniboine doesnt even have an airport.
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Stumper »

azimuthaviation wrote:
Stumper wrote:The rest are in Sioux Lookout or Fort Assiniboine making $48,000 signing sh!? That shouldn't be flying
Fort Assiniboine doesnt even have an airport.
Sorry Azimuthaviation, my bad; I'm not a Westerner. Feel free to substitute any of the other forts "wish I wasn't here" that have an active airport;)

I have nothing against aviation, I've made a modest living by it, and raised a family. But for the sake of the kids evaluating the return on their education money and time investment I think we need to provide an honest assessment of the returns that can be expected.

The only real currency in life is our time. We trade much of our limited life "time" in exchange for money. Kids deserve to know how much of their life "time" they will need to exchange for the glory of working on planes compared monetarily to other ventures that require similar education, skill and responsibility.

Not missing countless life memories with your kids, not feeling like a bag of sh!t for most of your life due to shift work, and having a far more robust financial future for the same education/effort/"time" lasts long after the Glory of fixing planes has slipped away..
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azimuthaviation
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by azimuthaviation »

I'm not arguing your point, I'll let the experts hash that out with you.

Just pretty random to pull Fort Assiniboine out of your hat. I didnt even know anyones even heard of the place?! If you do get tired of the AME thing tho I heard that if you clear crown land they will title it to you. (Its that far out in the middle of nowhere).
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Always_Learning
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Always_Learning »

So for the guys here that say they left aviation, how difficult was it for you? did you have to go back to school? how did you land that job you are working now? Ive been looking into jobs that are related to avionics but it seems everyone wants a red seal or to even get an apprenticeship requires you to go back to school and it seems none of the things i learned in aviation are transferable to other programs in the schools :( .
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by all_ramped_up »

Always_Learning wrote:So for the guys here that say they left aviation, how difficult was it for you? did you have to go back to school? how did you land that job you are working now? Ive been looking into jobs that are related to avionics but it seems everyone wants a red seal or to even get an apprenticeship requires you to go back to school and it seems none of the things i learned in aviation are transferable to other programs in the schools :( .
Have you spoke to a School? At most post secondary institutions there's counselors for discussing transferable credits. Wouldn't hurt as I would imagine a lot from Avionics would work for Electronics Engineering Technology or something similar. At least you could probably get partial credit towards a program if you're serious about moving on.
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bhmve
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by bhmve »

what would you guys say to 25/hr. Basic benefits, no pension. No OT paid out, only time in-lieu. There is field work avail. but that isnt guaranteed.

5 years experience. 2 type courses.

Personally, I am struggling to survive. I live ultra modestly. Havent been on vacation in over 7 years. No new cars. Can barely afford to buy tools because my paycheques just barely pay my bills and put food on the table.

So really it all comes down to this. As a professional, is it fair to struggle this much when you work so hard and have so much responsibility? I feel like there are a lot of AMEs who live really modest lives because they cant afford much. I know everyone I work with is struggling.
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NeverBlue
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by NeverBlue »

, is it fair to struggle this much when you work so hard and have so much responsibility? 


...uh...what?

Is there something that you think is owed to you?
'Cause if you just keep waiting for it, it probably isn't going to come...
...you have to go out and get it.

That's your responsibility...
No OT paid out, only time in-lieu. 
...That's illegal BTW.
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Troubleshot
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Troubleshot »

For once I agree with NeverBlue. While wages are low in Aircraft Maintenance you'll need to grab shit by the horns and go get another job. If nothing in Aviation, take your skills to another trade. My buddy fixes electric forklifts for $31/HR on the east coast...you are getting hosed my man, grow a pair and quit that sweat shop.
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Meecka
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Meecka »

NeverBlue wrote:

No OT paid out, only time in-lieu. 
...That's illegal BTW.
Unfortunately very common in the industry though. That was the only option for overtime at my last 2 jobs, and at one of them I was busy enough that I never got to use any of it.
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DonutHole
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by DonutHole »

It's 100% legal if both parties agree.

Every province has a process to modify o.t. Arrangements.
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conehead
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by conehead »

I've been visiting this forum for years now, and I think Meecka has had some of the crapiest employers around...
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DonutHole
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by DonutHole »

That corsair though.

And. . What the hell is an AMT? Are they worth less because they aren't a.m.e's?
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Meecka »

conehead wrote:I've been visiting this forum for years now, and I think Meecka has had some of the crapiest employers around...
The guys up in Kenora were a good bunch. The operation was run fairly well too.

I'm in a sweet gig now :P
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Meecka »

DonutHole wrote:That corsair though.

And. . What the hell is an AMT? Are they worth less because they aren't a.m.e's?
That Corsair took more of my blood than the doctor's office ever will! Big 'ol Blue Sow. She was interesting to work on though. Not many people can say they have radial experience, let alone a big'un like that one.

AMT I think, is being used to describe unlicensed guys. So in most operators eyes, yes they are worth less than AME's.
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conehead
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by conehead »

Meecka wrote:
conehead wrote:I've been visiting this forum for years now, and I think Meecka has had some of the crapiest employers around...
I'm in a sweet gig now :P
That's good to hear. :)
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Jungle Jim
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Re: AME Wages - AME's Unite!!

Post by Jungle Jim »

Guys,

Maybe the AME job needs to be viewed as a transitional job to better things? We had an ex forces helicopter mechanic that came to us and worked a bit as a Millwright, wrote the test, easily passed and he was probably the best Millwright we have ever had until he retired. They say these days that the average professional will have 5 jobs in their working life and will experience 3 career direction changes in their working life time.

Jim
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