25th year of EMS  

There is a huge problem you gloss over.  Making 17 per hr in 1988 when the dollar was worth more and inflation was much lower, aloud you to live a better life.

Wages have not kept up with inflation as well as the pay with skill level.

AMC starting paying in the early 2000's was 35K-42K and in 2008 was only 52K.  While housing, food, cars, etc are all up.

One major difference between the airlines and helicopters is what the military did to civilian pay.  When people left the military with degrees, (Officers) Air Force, Navy, Marines and went onto the airlines.  They had more options because of education.  When you look at Vietnam and non degree'd pilot like Warrents coming back from war had less options and they took low paying jobs and depressed the industry for years.  We are still having negative effects of this today.  This is no slight on military pilots and there skill or action of duty.  These are market pressures that effected the whole industry, but until people quit taking jobs for low pay, no union is going to help this because they set the bar low, we all suffer.

And before you say I'm a civilian puke that did not serve... you'd be wrong