Moving to where the job is?
A lot of jobs these days are in less than desireable locations and not a place to bring a wife and family to. Most of the Moscow based operations that I am familiar with also fly an awful lot, why have the family sit in Moscow? Most of the guys we fly around have their families in Europe or the US for safety reasons. Why not us?
On the subject of unions Europe are doing quite well in that respect, but most of us work for small operators. It comes down to the individual saying no thanks to a sub-par job, not a union.
That said, this is a fun and job. I love the fact that I may have breakfast in Istanbul, lunch in Milan and dinner in Krasnodar. It is a challenging job with great rewards if you don't sell yourself short.
By the way, if you move to a European country you have to pay your taxes there. I would rather pay my taxes to uncle Sam