This airline is what you make of it. It's definitely not the worst and it's certainly not the best. I can think of a lot of places that are probably worse than PDT (Great Lakes, Commutair, Mesa).
The key to being somewhat happy here is to live in base! This airline is the worst for commuting, especially now that LGA is closing. Don't come here if you plan on commuting, you will hate your life. I find the people who are the most unhappy and ***** the most are commuters. I've always lived in my domicile and life really isn't that bad. The pay isn't great but our first year is better than most so you can actually afford to live without going on food stamps. Our vacation is pretty good after first year as well.
Things that aren't so great have pretty much already been said ad nauseum. No future fleet plan, no growth, no sure future, stalled negotiations, honestly what airline doesn't have this? A couple things that really bother me about Piedmont is the fact we have to constantly watch our pay reports for errors (pay protection is not automated, you have to file a adjustment anytime you have a cxld leg) and the bidding system is completely outdated. Where most airlines give crews access to crew trac we do not, and therefore there's zero transparency in terms of scheduling.
Overall the dash is a great a/c to fly and the captains you will fly with are some of the most experienced in the industry. You will learn a lot, just don't expect them to teach you basic instrument skills, descent planning, or how to land in a crosswind. Those are things you should know before showing up for training.
My advice if you do decide to work here, is to live in base and don't plan on staying for more than 2-3 years. Hopefully by then most of us will have moved on to bigger and better things other than just another regional.