Welcome to the real world outside of the light blue.
Once you leave the sevice then it is a free market and it is up to you to get the best pay and conditions package that you can, Forget about loyalty it doesn't exist. The employer will drop you as fast as he can if the contract is lost or a cheaper pilot comes along.
I now work in the oil industry and it is fascinating to see what some "contractors" charge for their services. If they are a specialist they charge the earth. It is not unknown for helicopters to be hired to remove contractors from the rig, as soon as their work is finished, as their pay is higher than the cost of hiring the helicopter.
If you are in a job that requires a skill that not many possess then the pay you require should reflect that.
Remember the managers may think that they are the ones that earn the company the money but it is a myth. The managers strike and the flying gets done - the QHIs strike and ..................
Good luck from the bretheren up North
332M