Some thoughts.

With all due respect, attempting to educate the masses is a complete waste of time. With rare exception, the general public is going to read an article such as what was posted, shrug their shoulders and move on to another section. They just don't care.

My non-flying friends usually have no idea as to the pay and QOL that pilots who fly for the Regionals have to contend with. When they do hear about it, the most common response is "why do they put up with that?". Their words and concerns regarding the topic of air travel are usually confined to getting there on time, not losing their luggage, customer service, and of course, price. This is the norm amongst the public - they are more apt to remember a story about safety or who sat on some tarmac for hours instead of salaries, especially when most Americans are just getting by on two incomes.

*not starting a mainline vs regional argument - I have no dog in that fight *

The compensation and QOL used to be very high. The industry used to be very different too. Mainline airlines used to do the majority of the flying, while the commuters connected the hubs with the smaller towns. The commuters were also stepping stones for most, not career destinations.

It cannot be done. What we see today is what I consider the "new normal". It just isn't possible for a regional jet to generate the same amount of revenue as an MD-80 or 737, nor are the operating costs the same. The way things used to be, a person who purchased a ticket on the mainline traveled on one of their airplanes. Now, regional airline managers can't do it cheap enough as they compete against each other for mainline routes, nor is there a shortage of new, low-time pilots willing to take low paying jobs in order to gain experience.

The best that can be hoped for is that unions can negotiate decent contracts with their respective carriers AND the membership approves what is negotiated.