You can't "improve the industry" at the Regional level. It is too easy to be replaced, and the improvements are not sustainable. Citing ACA and Comair is correct. We are not paid what we 'deserve', but what the market will bear. The market will not bear what the XJT pilots want or feel they deserve or are owed! Mainlines set the rates that the Regionals earn. They cannot pay out more than they take in. Sure, they can cut costs elsewhere, but we will feel that too. Want to know what kinds of things get cut? Things like hotels! You want to spend 14 nights a month in the Motel 6? You watch, that is coming. Sure, cut upper management pay. That only gets you so far, and they don't want to work for less, either.

Saying an RJ FO 'deserves' more than $47/hr is just not correct. It is all his company can afford to pay. How much you think they can pay does not matter, and is probably not correct, anyway.