I'm sure it will be lost on the masses here on FlightInfo.com, but wouldn't it make more sense since we are all simply contractors to the majors to open a dialouge towards securing a future for ourselves as airline pilots. The "Regionals" are no longer a stepping stone towards a career with a legacy carrier. Whether we like it or not, there are fewer jobs available at the high end of the airline food chain. Everytime a 70-90 seat airframe is put online at a "regional" airline the goal of working for a "major" airline gets farther away. We as "regional" airline pilots are our own worst enemy, we revel in our respective companies gaining flying at any cost for a quick upgrade only to ignore the ramifications that it has on the industry as a whole. If you are going to fly an aircraft that is replacing a mainline aircraft then you shold be paid a equivalent amount for the capacity that said aircraft has replaced for the mainline partner.
Simply put, we are replacing the very jobs that we so desperatly seek. In the grand scheme of things (mainline) management has won, they convinced the senior pilots to allow scope relief to protect their jobs/pensions (at least what's left of them), and they found willing partners (ie, the regional carriers) to replace the junior pilots required to serve the market share they so desperately want to retain for a defacto B-scale wage.
We can cry all we want about how the union is doing nothing for us lowly regional pilots, but the fact remains that we are, and will continue to be our own worst enemy. Untill we as a whole decide to value our profession and as a result our earning potential above a municipal trash collector we will continue to be paid a sub-standard wage.
I'll be the first to say that I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I can see the writing on the wall. The "regionals" are going to be a place where you may spend a long time working and waiting for your big break. I'm just saying that if we're going to continue to replace jobs at the mainline level, we should be paid accordingly. The growth/ quick upgrade carrot is not enough to sell your future down the river.