The news media are publicizing the low pay and over work of commuter airline pilots in the USA quite a bit, and US Congressional Hearings and significant FAA actions to improve their minimum rest time, training, and the portability of their training and licensing records are about to start.
Since the major US airlines have cut back pilots' pay and benefits so much in recent years, the old model of "work for nothing for a commuter and get rich moving up to a major airline" isn't working too well. Yet there is apparently a surplus of apparently qualified pilots for the commuters. These problems are not new; hopefully the worst aspects will be fixed soon.
Some recent articles/URLs related to pay:
http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/06/16/pilot-pay-want-to-know-how-much-your-captain-earns/tab/print/
http://www.fltops.com/content.asp?ID=57