Pressman,
I se your point and understand where it's coming from but remember that everyone started at the bottom in this industry. There is no magical leap to captaincy and a larger pay packet with benefits. We all started on crappy pay but with the prospects of hard work earning us the benefits and lifestyles that we now expect. Should we rob peter to pay paul? Good question and one that BALPA has been couching for a long time. Should I feel personally guilty that new pilots have a worse start in their careers? Probably not, I was also there once with large debts, a cr**py car and no money. Should the experienced ones point out the pitfalls and offer advice, no matter how painful it may be? Yes I believe so.
Can we really negotiate better T & C's across the board? No I really don't think so. This environment is not as stable as it once was and job security, irrespective of where it is, is not what it once was. Should we throw rocks when we live in a fragile glass house? Probably not what you want to hear but it's the truth,
Congratulations on your new job, so long as you enter it with eyes wide open I am sure you shall enjoy it. Look at yourself in twenty years and ask yourself the same questions.
Have fun
