Ditto with PCL128. I can feel for the OP and it sucks to be in the situation he's in. However, that having been said, this is still a seniority based system. Personally, I think we should have fought for a national seniority list and implemented that, but that will never happen. Too many greedy short-sighted pilots that are doing well will not want that. Anyway, if the OP left an airline I worked at, and then more than 2 weeks later wanted to come back because his plans didn't pan out, I'd welcome him..... but to the bottom of the list.
That's the whole concept of seniority. If you leave and then come back exactly at the same seniority spot that you left with, then that defeats the whole point of seniority!
Hell, even at Pinnacle there was a true story about a Pinnacle captain who lived in Atlanta, got Atlanta awarded, and then bid out to DTW in a matter of sport bidding to make some cash and score moving days. Plenty of people did that. However, then the musical chairs stopped, and this guy was stuck and had to commute out of ATL. He then had a serious medical condition in his family (I think it was wife's cancer, but I don't know), and due to this serious medical condition he approached management and the union to try and be awarded ATL CA due to 'medical hardship.' From what he told me, management agreed, but the union did not. I felt bad for him, but then I asked him if you were already living in base why were you sport bidding? If you wanted to make extra money, you knew the risk involved, right?
Situations like that, it's tough, and too bad. Remember, we have a seniority based system. If it wasn't for that, then I would have 100% compassion. But the fact remains everything in our entire profession is based on seniority. Movement, pay, vacation, retirement, schedules! One person coming back at his original seniority means I will be bumped down one spot in schedules and seniority all because someone took a gamble to leave that didn't pay off. Sorry, but every time you leave or move you are taking a gamble. Always is the case, and always will be. Just because your gamble doesn't work out does not mean you should come back to your original spot and bump me down. You are welcome back to your original airline... but at the bottom of the seniority list.