A lot of spin there in your post GS Alpha.
I think the days of unions holding any company to ransom are long gone. These days unions and their members are playing a defensive game, trying to protect T&C's from predatory and aggressive employers.
New employees, employed on far inferior contracts in my experience, don't tend to be so motivated or professional. As airlines cross international boundaries, what does 'Market Rate' mean anyway? Surely the market rate for pilots is a lot less in India than in the UK? Does that mean according to GS Alpha's logic, that a level playing field will not be found until airlines follow the route of cruise ship companies, who now crew their ships with customer contact staff from the Phillipines and third world countries?
Where does this race to the bottom end?