When one ultimately only cares about themselves then that's what you get, one person against the others. The "others", even if they make the "rules", certainly don't care only about themselves, they work together to make sure individuals only think about themselves.

I've been in aviation 30+ years, did the regional thing in the 80's. I am furloughed and seem to be SOL right now, but I can't and won't go back to the regionals. Those in the regionals now don't know how much worse you have it. I fully understand the way it works, the narrow pipeline that may lead to the 50/50 chance (at best) that you'll make it to the majors or whatever passes as a good gig these days. The system is totally rigged against the majority of the pilots. Yes, I've been a active union member, but that's fallen down hard - essentially a fail situation. (which is why I think a lot of pilots take the "individual pass, they see how unions seem to little for the majority of the pilots, at least in the regional realm). What the union, or someone must do is get RLA amended. When essentially the government tells you when you can strike and also approves various ways for carriers to go bankrupt (and toss much of your agreement) that's the top tier of the rigged system. There's really a lot of other things that need to be done, but time and again it seems to come down to that, amending the RLA. One strike every ten years isn't going to do anything, in fact it can make it worse, witness the dismantling of Comair.

This argument over pay and conditions has been going on 10+ years now, and every year the chorus is it'll get better, and how much worse can it get? Yet after ten+ years, you have your answer.

I am not trying to trash anyone at all. I think most pilots do an outstanding job most times in spite of the conditions they are in.