WARNING: this post will make you think.
Tragedy of the commons. READ THIS LINK FIRST:
Tragedy of the commons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cows = airline pilots
Herder = airline management
Commons = the passengers

Translation:
There's only so many passengers who fly. The lowest bidder gets to fly them, but then the passengers gripe about the lack of service. Management doesn't really care about the pilots, because pilots CONSUME resources and passengers GENERATE income.

Let's take this a bit further. See Prisoner's Dilemma:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner's_dilemma


Prisoners = RJ pilot group and mainline pilot group
Defect = agree to contract concessions (less pay, relaxed scope)
Jail Time = loss of job

15 years ago, a regional pilot flew 19 seat B-1900s and EMB-120s and would love to get hired by a mainline carrier flying F-28s or F-100s for AA or USAir. 10 years ago, regional pilots flew 40 seat RJs and would love to get hired by someone flying 737s. Today, regional pilots fly 70 and 90 seat "regional jets" and wonder where the hell all the mainline jobs went.

I'm not pointing blame at the guys who took the RJ job. After all, if they didn't, then someone else would.

5 years from now, the fighting is going to be our RJ pilots fighting against Brazilian, Indian, or French "Open Skies" pilots who will find a way to undercut our RJs and SWA because their government subsidies give them an advantage. The sad thing is that those flights will be operated under the United, American, Continental, and maybe even MEDEX callsign and paint scheme that we see today.

It's time for ALPA to become a NATIONAL union and demand NATIONAL payscales. This downward trend will only continue unless ALPA finds a way to UNITE us so that we fight MANAGEMENT and not each other.

This concludes your philosophy lesson of the day...
Riddler