why is it that they can name their price?
I'm not sure that's altogether true. Perhaps some very senior people who are head-hunted can but I would have thought that the vast majority go wherever the work is. Not only that, most junior doctors work in government hospitals where the salary isn't great compared to the hours worked and most freshly graduated lawyers work as junior associates for a number of years before being able to demand a significant salary.
Also, SMOC has a point. At the moment we are, generally, a seniority-based profession - something that is jealously guarded. Perhaps that may become a thing of the past as the industry changes into one where pilots "sell" themselves to the highest bidder and develop into a somewhat more itinerant workforce than has traditionally been the case.
STP