A voice
All the points that are being made are valid, but... What we really need is a voice.
The pilots need an association that can present valid and pertinent information about the needs of the pilot group to management in a coherent and ordered manner. Of course, I'm well aware that unions are not legal here, but this would not be a union, it would be a collective channel that could present the opinions of the majority to the company in a constructive way.
Here we are trying to tell a bunch of un-named select few what we want through an anonymous and limited forum that most don't read anyway. But what one person wants may not be in line with what the majority wants. A pilot association could colate opinions and ideas and present them to the company in an unbiased way. The company would hear the views of the pilots without one or two individuals having to stick their necks out. Once a proper channel is established the true issues can be addressed in a far more meaningful way as the company would know that the opinions presented represent the views of the majority. Not only this, but the company would have to pay attention because they would be aware that we are all aware of what they are being told rather than the current situation where we aren't invited to the meeting and don't know exactly what is being discussed. Why should my job conditions be affected by a secret meeting that I'm not invited to and haven't even been asked what is important to me?
We are not going to have a chance to have meetings like this very often... Ask for what will allow us to address our issues on an ongoing basis rather than just this one-off stab in the dark. We need to set up a collective voice for the pilot group. And then... we can address the real issues.