You are spot on Mk1eyeball, as always, along with Insider7, millerscourt et al.
However there is one aspect that has not come out on these forums yet and that is the fact that SM Lee has a very deep and personal dislike towards pilots in general stretching back to 1984. They are not 'graduates', a major problem for him. Unfortunately they fit in somewhere between bus drivers and taxi drivers in his mind and hence the same attitude towards plane drivers from the mini general who takes his lead from the big Boss in this. It also explaines the banter about 'cracking of heads' , 'arrogant pilots',etc.
On a slightly different subject a few years back while the SM was flying on a long haul trip, he asked if he could have the pilots bunk as was usual and it was refused. All hell broke loose on his return and that became yet another reason to despise the pilots and add nails to the personal vendetta.
No amount of intrevention on his part will solve this on going problem until he takes his personal likes and dislikes out of the crisis and he allows market forces along with his perfectly capable new CEO to get on with it.
This being the same new CEO whom most pilots have a great deal of respect for and look forward to being led by.