howdy boys,
One sure thing is that every FO is being taken advantage of by CHL EMS. They have all the same requirements except hours on type. They have to pass a Captain's PPC, they are ATPL rated and instrument rated. Most FO's do not fit into the 500 hour minimum requirement bracket - many cross over with thousands of hours.
The aircraft can complete the requirements of the contract, with a very small fine from the customer, with 1 medic or even with 0 medics. The aircraft can NOT complete the requirements of the contract with 1 pilot - the aircraft is grounded. The fine from the customer is very significant per shift at a fee of well over $5000!!
The pay scales for medics have 7 levels - for captains have 10 levels and for FO's have 14 levels. The length of time to go from the bottom to the top of your payscale is more than twice as long for an FO as it is for a medic and longer for a captain than for a medic.
The starting hourly rate for an FO is $13.07. :down:
The starting hourly rate for a Captain is $28.52.
The starting hourly rate for an advanced care medic is $26.46.
The starting hourly rate for a critical care medic is $30.82.
Another issue CHL EMS must amend is the frequent use of foreigners who will work for lower salaries to help with getting citizenship and experience flying in Canada. CHL EMS claims they can not fill the ranks with pilots meeting the requirements in Canada. That is because not many VFR drivers earning $60,000+ annually are willing to take the huge pay cut to cross over.
Will the pilots unionize? What do you think?
JAFO