I see from your profile you are in New York, but if you will forgive a bit of poetic licence, there is the old saying: "What California does today, the rest will do tommorow." Certainly in the UK and probably much of Europe, jobs are becoming scarce. Terms and conditions for those that remain are becoming worse.
If you want a snapshot of European aviation, you should perhaps look at one of the few carriers that is actually recuiting and expanding in the current climate. This company is setting the new benchmark standard for Terms & conditions within the industry. Click on search above and enter the word Ryanair. That will give you an idea of all of the answers you are seeking with regards to "respect" and terms and conditions. Most airlines are retrenching, with redundancies and salary cutbacks.
It may be the case that in your situation, a relocation would work for you, however you should be under no illusion that the industry is in severe recession and despite 3000 miles of grey ocean, things are not pretty here either.