Pilots having to pay to get hired was common during the '90's. The few you mentioned were only a fraction of who was requring pilots to pay to get a job. Express Airlines One, Express Jet, and Comair to name a few more.

This is one factor that made many licensed pilots turn away from the industry and find more suitable work elsewhere. Giving a company money to give you a job put the ball too far in the companies side, if you asked many pilots.