Going out on a flame bait limb here....(been in the industry 30 years so do I have the right?)

The terrible world that US airlines are: I used to think it was capricious management. Or ALPA. (ALPA is a failure. Let's admit it, but then remember, ALPA is "us").

The problem is: pilots. Pilot mentality and the basic pyramid scheme its become. As long as there is one pilot making 200k as a captain, and everyone else is making 20K as doing whatever else, they will think "I'll be the exception, it'll be me". I've now seen or heard or it, in many fashions, for a great number of years.

Possible solution with two words: wildcat strike, and be willing to go out for 6 months. (Oh, yeah, here comes the flames). A wildcat 6 month strike. And what's the worst outcome? Make you work in the airlines, it was just like like a quote from a Marine grunt in Vietnam saying when he faced with a discipline problem: "what are they, going to do to me, send me to Vietnam?"

OK, crucify me, but its been 13 years of dramatic erosion of the "profession". I am open to some new ideas.