Adolf
There are ways in which I can agree with you.
It's not any special skill/ability/responsibility that we may (or may not!) have, that are sufficient on their own to simply demand suitable reward.
Only industrial muscle can protect us. But we are (collectively) too stupid/ignorant/uninterested to see that.
But that doesn't mean there aren't special qualities that mark out the best pilots! People able to preserve many lives in the face of diminishing resources/resourcing!
Train drivers (particularly TfL!) T&CS have not reduced noticeably. It's entirely right we ask why ours are falling off a cliff!