I have been involved in many employee negotiations and reasonable people always win. Extreme action, extreme standpoints and extreme views never succeed. I don't know the precise details of this case so I apologise if this seems rather dismissive. When I was in business I always paid and needed to pay the highest rate possible for my best employees. Reasonable employees saw the figures and understood the constraints. If I was aVirgin pilot I would not create waves - that's a black mark in the Company's books and takes a long time to remove. Check the facts, listen to the arguments and state your point of view calmly in writing to management - without using hyperbole. But only if you feel you have to.