Nice reply 880.
Life isn't always fair and not everyone 'suffers' equally. Ask pilots who had to work their tails off just to get their ratings versus simply making a call to mom and dad asking to deposit more money in their flight training account. I don't think airline management can control supply and demand (in a broad sense) otherwise this industry might be unusually stable.
Ask the 6 & 7 year FO's who can't upgrade yet because of an FO shortage if they mind financial incentives? A delayed upgrade due to a lack of new hire FO's costs them $$$'s and more importantly, a chance to pursue other opportunities.