Because getting "the edge" on people cuts the rest of your industry off from the solidarity needed to have a serious talk with management. If the airlines can easily find people willing to pay to sit in their seat, they can stop hiring people who worked up to that point. It is frustrating to try to get that last bit of multi, or finally catch your big break. Honestly though, it's the same in every industry. Think of it this way, PFT means you make less than the interns. But your job is to guarantee the safety of at least 50 people. Don't you think that pay should be equal to that kind of responsibility?