I'll concede that the hands-on stick-and-rudder skills are not used as much as they once were by airline pilots (not to say they are gone). However, as aircraft system redundancy and automation reduce workload, the workload is in fact increasing in an ATC over-capacity system.

Pilots still must have experience and judgment to perform safely in a very dynamic environment (which is independent of pay). You could pay a 400 hour pilot $25/hr to sit in the seat (many companies do) and that pilot still lacks the skill, experience, and judgment to operate [solo] in the modern airspace system even though he may know which buttons to push in the cockpit.

Wages reflect that negotiation environment for a CBA - nothing more. As the modern airline pilot moves from a stick-and-rudder ace of the base to a systems manager with superb situational awareness - the head work and judgment will not change.

IMO, this is what brings value to the negotiating table