Harry,
$200,000 is a lot of dosh and the decision should have been made long before a captain has to be pushed into discretion.
Decisions like staffing the airline adequately. This airline has a habit of forcing decisions to the "sharp" end of the operation where the most damage/safety implications are, instead of addressing them at a much earlier stage. That would however force other people into making decisions and we all know that won't happen here.
As somebody said on another thread staffing this airline adequately is not a pilots concern, flying the plane safely is, heavens they sure hold us accountable, shame we can't to the same to others.