Actually, you are completely wrong. It would be capitalism if it were unrestricted. Thanks to the RLA, it's about as far from "what they're worth" as one can get. When you have no leverage to negotiate, you get basically what management wants to pay you. Obviously, this is not what you're "worth". This is what they want to give you. Repeal the RLA and then let's see what pilots are "worth". Negotiations would change drastically if you could go on strike the day your contract expires, rather than maybe 4-5 YEARS later. (If the government decides to let you)