In a merit-based work force, yes, which is basically all of corporate America. The hard worker, the more educated, the more willing, the more competent, the guy who brings the results, those get the promotions, pay raises, and higher starting salaries.

But in an seniority-based system, no. Unfortunately. It doesn't matter the educational background, skill, degrees, how good you work, none of that matters. Have an ATP, pass sim training, and recurrent checks, you are as equal as any other pilot at a company. This is not the case for corporate America, so you can negotiate your own pay.

Heck, I still remember being 22 yrs old with my first engineering job and negotiating my pay and time off. Was completely clueless but I still got a good deal.

You may get 11,000 per month with 16 days off, someone else would negotiate to fly more and get only 14 days off for the same 11,000. The examples are endless because it's a seniority based system that defines pay, vacation, and schedules.