If we are estimating that we are approx 150 pilots overmanned and approx 150 pilots who could otherwise retire decide to stick around, then, yes, they are pretty responsible for a potential pay cut. They would have said the same thing 20 years ago if they were on the bottom end of this deal - oh, wait, they did.
As I read the CBA - a pilot will not collect a VEBA check until he retires. The problem is that it does not state that he retires at 60. Those payments need to be prorated $5k/yr down to nothing by age 65 since the need for the check is no longer valid. As for the unpaid VEBA funds - REFUND. This is not a new concept. If you qualified for a lum-sum disability today, then magically were able (and did) to go back to work tomorrow - you would no longer get the money. It isn't a gift, it is a one time payment meant to cover a very specific need; and if the need no longer exists, neither does the money.