When we started to hear of the pilotage review, one word that kept coming up from the people who were paying the bills was “competition”. The structure we have right now is essentially a monopoly inside of a monopoly.
The issue of competition is code for, “We want some kind of cost control.” I guess what would be comforting to people who are paying the bills is that competition isn't necessarily the only way toward cost control. Then it falls to the pilots. I don't know what you guys earn, but I understand it's pretty handsome, which is the reason many masters on the Great Lakes would prefer to be pilots.
What are you doing to apply some economies or cost controls in the absence of competition for your work?