I doubt that the incident you relate to would have made much difference, the die was cast a long time ago. To have 140+pilots 4 years ago and be down to 25-30 today is much more indicative of the sources of the problems.
Poor management during challenging times and a concerted campaign by some senior pilots to scupper the pilot body’s offer to reduce salaries to help out. They are about to reap what they sowed.