its hard to unite pilots to demand higher pay because there's always another pilot who will be glad to take your job and fly for nothing.

I think, to change this mindset of all the pilots, you have to start at the beginning, instructors have to teach students and explain these things, why industry sucks and that the dream of flying big shiny jets for a big pay is pretty much over if everyone accepts jobs for low pay. Second of all, even if this trend started and people stopped accepting jobs for low pay, you wouldn't be able to see the change in the industry for another 20+ years, so you're stuck back where you started because people will not wait that long. But if you had a massive, all airlines united, strike during a time when pilots are in a need. mhmm...maybe that would change things faster.....ok my rant is over too.