You can't afford to pay a pilot $200k per year. You can't get quality, talented people for 18K per year. Engineers (Mechanical, Electrical) generally start relatively high right out of school (around regional capt. pay), and top out below 100k per year. Since the pie in the sky jobs are all but gone, this is a more common sense pay scale.

Companies would have to treat employees better or risk a mass exodus of qualified pilots. Your QOL sucks? Ok, turn in your resignation and go somewhere else taking a 10 or 20% pay cut instead of an 80% pay cut.

ATP should without a doubt be required for both pilots, you should pay your dues in flight instructing / building 135 multi time, then be eligible to fly 121.
That would weed out the silver spoon brats.