I think the word out-sourcing has gone through a number of lingo changes. Originally, I'm pretty sure it meant simply moving a production element to a company outside your own. Contracting it out. In the late 90's and new millennium it seems to have been adulterated into the term we most understand it as today; moving production "off-shore". It looks as if the airline industry is using it in its correct term these days.


Now, back to your statement about "that's what they are supposed to do." I really don't think there are any specific words in "Flying the Line, Vol I" that says. "Airline pilot unions are here to create disparaging differences between pay of most senior and most junior pilots. Differences so great that new hires have to move home and apply for food-stamps, sleep on bed-bug-ridden beds in crash-pads with 8 other guys and never-ever go on a real vacation. Differences so great that they have to commute across the country and become unsafe with fatigue so as it raises questions as to the safety of their operating equipment." No. I don't think it says that anywhere.

Where I do see a circular cycle is in the fact that the senior pilots had to put up with ultra-low pay when they were new-hires and now that they are senior pilots, finally able to live in the black, dropping their pay wouldn't allow them to catch up for the years living in the red as a relative new-hire. Changing the pay-scales on them could be seen as a little unfair, so the viscous cycle continues indefinitely. There's never an opportunity to correct the problem. But, we all know that the 60/65 retirement age change created a situation wherein the only people who gained from it were senior pilots already making well over 6 figures. The low guys were stuck in the right seat, or even CFI'ing for peanuts for the 5 years that had to lapse.