I think we all need to wake up and get real about things changing for the better. Why on earth would they? The airlines that have been offering such poor packages have had no difficulty recruiting people. The standard has droppped accross the whole field, because people are willing to accept it. And who can blame them either - being a pilot is a dream turned reality for so many.
So to all those optimists, I think you're kidding yourself. The nature of flying has changed profoundly in recent years with the rise of the low cost model. Rather than the standards rising, for pilots, it makes more business sense to drop them. And that is what's happening at all airlines!