I spent 9 years at Express and 2 at CAL. I'll take CAL's anyday! Pay or anything. There are a couple minor things in the XJT contract not in CAL's, but who cares. Life is better at CAL. When I fly the 767, my two year FO pay is the same as my 9 year CA pay at Express! I'm less than 100 numbers from upgrade and $138/hour. In the 757, I do two to four legs per week, not per day. I have more days off than when I was number 14 in EWR. New hires can hold any plane from the 737 up to the 777 in EWR. My QOL is much better here.
Good luck to those who are trying to get here. Keep trying.