IAM Union / District 141

How Do Your Wages Compare?

Answer each question to see how a $100,000 straight-time income compares with the broader American economy.

Wage Comparison Quiz

Educational materials

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Wage Comparison Quiz

Where Does $100,000 Put You?

A six-figure income is an important economic benchmark, but it can be difficult to tell what that number actually means when it is separated from the rest of the American economy.

Roughly the top 25% Among full-time, year-round American workers, approximately one in four earns $100,000 or more.

That does not mean everyone earning $100,000 has the same standard of living. Housing costs, family size, healthcare, debt, location, benefits, and hours worked can dramatically change how far an income goes.

This short quiz places a $48.11 hourly wage, or about $100,000 a year at straight time, alongside typical American earnings and wages in other kinds of work.

The goal is not to tell you how to feel about your wage. It is to give you enough context to judge it accurately and understand where it stands.

✓ The quiz takes about five minutes and is designed to work smoothly on a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

Earnings comparison based on 2024 American Community Survey estimates for full-time, year-round workers.

Before We Get Started

Three quick facts about what happens while negotiations continue.

Does our current contract expire?

No. The current agreement stays in place while negotiations continue. The pay, benefits, work rules, and protections in the current agreement remain in effect until a new agreement is approved.

How long before we get a new Tentative Agreement?

There is no set date. Section 6 negotiations can take years to complete, but a new Tentative Agreement can be reached sooner if The Union and United resolve the remaining issues. The next agreement could come in months, or it could take much longer.

Will pay keep increasing if negotiations continue?

No. The current pay rates stay in place until a new agreement is approved. Employees who are still working their way up the pay scale can continue receiving their regular step increases, but there are no additional raises built into the current agreement.

First Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

United Employee Number(Required)

How many years have you worked at United?(Required)

Choose your station or city code(Required)

Your core work is protected from outsourcing.

If you work at any of these stations, your core work cannot be outsourced to United Ground Express or any other outside vendor. Source: Article 2.A.1

Which local are you a member of?(Required)

Work Area(Required)

Your current bid area(Required)

Are you currently working an Outage Relief Line?(Required)

Please send me regular negotiation updates

Please send me regular negotiations updates

Preferred email address

Are you full-time or part-time?(Required)

Are you a lead?(Required)

Your age range(Required)

About how many years do you expect to keep working before you retire?(Required)

What are Section 6 negotiations?

Section 6 is the formal process used to negotiate changes to an airline contract.

Unlike a short-term extension or a limited agreement, Section 6 can open many parts of the contract for bargaining, including pay, benefits, job protections, scheduling, and work rules.

Because the contract is being negotiated so broadly, the process can take longer. A new agreement can still be reached sooner if both sides resolve the remaining issues, but Section 6 negotiations can continue for months or years before a Tentative Agreement is reached and ratified.

The current agreement stays in place while negotiations continue.

Is this your first round of full, Section 6 contract negotiations?(Required)

Gender (optional)

Please rate the professionalism of your supervisors(Required)

5 stars is the best

ExcellentPretty goodNeutralNot so greatTerrible

How safe do you believe your work environment is?(Required)

5 stars is the best

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Please rate the staffing levels in your workplace(Required)

5 stars is the best

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Negotiating Priorities

Negotiating Committee meeting at the bargaining table

The next questions focus on specific bargaining issues and the priorities you want the Negotiating Committee to consider.

Negotiating Priorities

The next questions focus on specific bargaining issues and the priorities you want the Negotiating Committee to consider.

Which of these parts of the recent Tentative Agreements do you think were the strongest? (Drag the items into order from strongest at the top to weakest at the bottom.)

Pay, wage progression, premiums, and profit sharing
Retirement benefits, including pension and 401(k)
Job security, including outsourcing, and furlough protections
Scheduling, work-life balance, and mandatory overtime
Holiday flexibility (floating holidays)
Medical benefits
Putting important unwritten agreements into the contract

Which of these parts of the recent Tentative Agreements most need to be improved?

Pay, wage progression, premiums, and profit sharing
Retirement benefits, including pension and 401(k)
Job security, including outsourcing, and furlough protections
Scheduling, work-life balance, and mandatory overtime
Holiday flexibility (floating holidays)
Medical benefits
Putting important unwritten agreements into the contract

Which Move Team priorities matter most to you?

Drag the items into order, with the most important at the top.

Remove cameras from Move Team tugs
Daily seniority-based work area preference system
Higher Move Team premiums

Which THREE parts of the recent Tentative Agreements do you think were the strongest?(Required)

Select exactly 3 choices.

Pay, wage progression, premiums, and profit sharing

Retirement benefits, including pension and 401(k)

Job security, including outsourcing, and furlough protections

Scheduling, work-life balance, and mandatory overtime

Holiday flexibility (floating holidays)

Medical benefits

Putting important unwritten agreements into the contract

Which THREE parts of the recent Tentative Agreements most need to be improved?(Required)

Select exactly 3 choices.

Pay, wage progression, premiums, and profit sharing

Retirement benefits, including pension and 401(k)

Job security, including outsourcing, and furlough protections

Scheduling, work-life balance, and mandatory overtime

Holiday flexibility (floating holidays)

Medical benefits

Putting important unwritten agreements into the contract

Which of these is most important to you?

How long would you be willing to continue under the current agreement while negotiators pursue additional improvements?(Required)

How IAM Union Profit Sharing Works

In 2013, IAM members voted to place most of the value of profit sharing into higher hourly wages. Members still receive annual profit sharing, while collecting more of that value in every paycheck.

No union at United has secured an increase to its profit-sharing formula since the merger. United mechanics use the same profit-sharing formula as IAM-represented employees.

Outage Relief(Required)

Currently, there are no contractual limits on the use of Outage Relief, and United can fill up to 100% of a station’s positions with Outage Relief lines.

For the first time, the recent Tentative Agreements included limits on the use of Outage Relief lines.

To what extent do you support including those limits in a future agreement?

Seniority-Based Job Protection(Required)

Under the current agreement, this protection applies to employees with a Company seniority date of June 3, 2019 or earlier.

The recent Tentative Agreements extended the protected date to July 1, 2026. Employees covered by this provision could not be furloughed from employment, or reduced from full-time to part-time status by furlough, unless they were first given the opportunity to exercise seniority elsewhere in the system.

To what extent do you support including this protection in a future agreement?

Mandatory Overtime Protections(Required)

The recent Tentative Agreements would give employees new protections when they are required to work mandatory overtime. To what extent do you support including these protections in a future agreement?

When mandatory overtime changes your plans, what do you usually have to give up?(Required)

Select between 1 and 3 choices.

Time with family or friends

Childcare or other caregiving responsibilities

Medical, legal, or personal appointments

School, classes, or job training

Work at another job

Sleep or rest

Exercise, medical care, or other health routines

Personal errands or household responsibilities

Religious, community, or volunteer activities

Travel or transportation arrangements

Personal time I had planned for myself

I can usually adjust my plans without giving anything up

Other than pay and job security, which one of the following improvements would have the greatest effect on your support for a future Tentative Agreement?(Required)

Other improvement

Protecting Work From Outsourcing to any vendor (example: UGE or Swissport, etc)(Required)

The recent Tentative Agreements would continue protections designed to help keep bargaining unit work from being outsourced, including work that could otherwise be performed by companies such as UGE or Swissport.

To what extent do you support including these protections in a future agreement?

Paid Parental Leave(Required)

The recent Tentative Agreements would provide eligible employees with paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child, including paid maternity leave for eligible birth parents and paid New Parent Leave for eligible parents.

To what extent do you support including paid parental leave in a future agreement?

Stronger Rights During Investigations(Required)

The recent Tentative Agreements would strengthen Union representation during investigations, establish clearer timelines for evidence and decisions, and provide additional protections for employees held out pending investigation.

To what extent do you support including these protections in a future agreement?

Which one of these proposed changes stood out to you the most?(Required)

The recent Tentative Agreements included several proposed improvements to pay, benefits, job protections, and working conditions.

Which proposed improvement stood out to you the most?

Other change

Artificial Intelligence & Job Security

Artificial intelligence and automation are changing airline work. These questions ask what you have seen, what you expect, and which risks concern you most.

To the best of your knowledge, is artificial intelligence currently being used in any part of your work?(Required)

How soon do you think artificial intelligence and automation will change IAM-represented jobs at United?(Required)

Looking ahead over the next 10 years, which of the following do you believe pose the greatest risks to your career at United Airlines?(Required)

Select up to 3 choices.

Artificial intelligence

Automation

Outsourcing or contracting out bargaining unit work

Jobs eliminated by not replacing employees who leave or retire

Furloughs

Attendance policies

On the Job Injury

Medical disqualification or loss of eligibility

Economic recession

Company restructuring or bankruptcy

Which of these would have the biggest positive impact on your household?(Required)

More predictable schedules

More protections against mandatory overtime

More vacation time

More floating holidays

More flexibility with personal leave

Better parental leave

More control over when I can be away from work

How do you typically use your day and shift trades?(Required)

Do you usually use your full allotment of vacation time?(Required)

Strike Authorization(Required)

If United refuses to address the bargaining priorities that matter most to you, would you support authorizing a strike if negotiations reach that stage under the Railway Labor Act?

Staying Connected

These questions ask how you receive information, which communication formats you use, and how The Union can keep you informed throughout negotiations.

Which of these sources usually reach you first with negotiation updates?(Required)

How would you most like to stay informed as negotiations continue?(Required)

Which of these platforms do you use in your personal time?(Required)

Select all that apply

Select All

Facebook

YouTube

Instagram

TikTok

X (formerly Twitter)

Podcasts

Final Thoughts

Open Floor

You've made it to the end. If there's anything you'd like District 141 or your Negotiating Committee to know, we want to hear it!

Open Comments

Send a Longer Message

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