Well, I think the leverage can be gained in stating that it's not an entry-level job. If it wasn't your first job, it shouldn't be paid at "first job" or less wages.
I have personally always thought that the minimum an airline pilot should make FIRST year, is $40,000 as a First Officer. I'd like to see more, but that should be the floor, and nothing less. I don't care how much or how little automation there is, if you GIGO the automation, you can still kill someone.
My friend with a comp sci degree, working on non-safety sensitive programs, no lives at stake, made $40 grand his first year out of college. He also had no flight school debt. He took about 2.5 years at that company to land a job with Verisign making double that.
Meanwhile, I switched from an entry-level IT job paying $36,000 a year or so, where if I screwed up, we'd have productivity issues, to a job making half of that ($18,657 pre tax first year at guarantee; PS I've flown 200 hours so far in 2009), with 50 lives jointly in my and the Captain's hands.
Yes, I took the job, I knew what I was getting into pay-wise, and I made adjustments.... BUT, the minimum pay NEEDS to change for the next guy coming up the pipe. If I could secure improvements in my contract that would get the next new hire $40 grand a year to start, I would sign off on that in a heartbeat. I'm not going to quit; I'm here until I've made positive change.... either we put a bottom-feeder out of business or we get a decent working environment, it's Phil's choice.
PS jnxyjoe that is awesome to play with a second delay between each clip. heheh