I am talking the labor market. Pipe fitters, electricians, plumbers, et al have control over who and how one becomes part of said profession/vocation. Admittedly those powers have been diluted over the years as more and non union workers have entered the work force. Depending on the state though, union membership is either required or shop fees are charged. As it is now we have no control over who becomes a pilot or how that happens. That simple fact, I think, is the major reason our wages as a group have seen so much negative pressure of the last 10 years. The entire regional airline model revolves around the ready supply of cheap pilot labor.

The government won't do it on their own but if ALPA (and I use them because it's easier to type) had a hand in how pilot licenses are granted and what was required to be an Airline Transport Pilot, it would go a long way towards reducing the supply thus increasing the price.