Actually, I think you have to go back to the original post, and the point being made about Delta "putting a gun to the heads" of the Pinnacle pilots. Delta did this because in this case, it needed to, and because it can.
The relationship between the two airlines is not that of independent and equal partners, but a subservient agreement, whereby the regional exists as a scope exception, and is allowed to defy the laws of economics for a while, because it suits the master. At some point, the master's interest shifts, and it becomes convenient to dump an entire regional, or several, or to squeeze one through CH11. In the process, this master might suddenly drop the benevolent mask, and be revealing as the controlling, and potentially abusive entity they always were. I suppose this might come as a shock to some, who were allowed to frolic a while, under the illusion of freedom (no pun intended, Mesa). Just ask the Independence Air guys when you see one.
This is an ugly industry, and the regionals are to a mainline what an Indian call center is to Dell. If you work for an Indian call center, you make acceptable wages, and you do OK until your call center is cut from the Dell contract, maybe at the exact same time that HP, several airlines, and a bunch if banks cut theirs, and you're still in India.
At that point, if you were interested in a Visa to the States, you'd not argue with Immigration about how you fought the good fight in India. You'd just have to decide whether you want to talk about the visa OR the fight.
That's the nature of it.