A friend of mine runs his own dental practice. He came out with a truism. It is the duty of management to get as much work from its employees for as little money as possible. It is also incumbent on the workforce to get as much money as they can for as little work as is acceptable.
In my 25 years flying, I have been with two airlines that have gone bust. In neither case was pilots salaries anything to do with their demise.
Pilots should aim to earn as much as they can, using a strong union as their negotiating tool.