New guy jumping in! Please be gentle...
First of all, if the merger happens as described by the APA/USAIR CLA, I hope, for all of our sakes that we become a part of a new juggernaut that rises to the heights that American once occupied and that AWA and USAIR aspired to. 'Nuff about that but it is sincere.
Nobody knows what the SLI will ultimately look like. Nobody. My
expectation is that APA will craft a deal based on a balance between
relative seniority and
career expectations. DOH is only relevant within each of the three lists that exist pre-merger. With that in mind I see the following "positions" or points of argument as having the greatest merit.
1. APA will make all of the initial decisions. USAPA may be politely consulted, but there is no reason for USAPA (the organization, not its membership) to have any significant voice. APA will be assuming the complete responsibility of DFR so with sole responsibility come sole authority.The APA Green Book will be the basis of the new contract. Old contracts and agreements are OBE. One Collective Bargaining Agent. One Collective Bargaining Agreement. East and West alike will lose some of their beloved work rules, scheduling desires and other things you are just grown comfortable with in exchange for other benefits that will come from the Green Book. We AA types will be losing much as well and we know everybody will be unhappy.
2. Nic is probably moot. This element will probably be a driver in the ultimate demand for binding arbitration but I see
three lists initially being integrated instead of two. The law, Mac/Bond is going to drive elements in the integration procedure that deny anyone a windfall at the expense of another. This prohibition against windfalls is what almost totally precludes DOH as ever again being a legal SLI rationale, unless and until we get a national, one contract seniority list.
3. Fences will provide each of the three groups with stability for some period of time. This promotes equitable career expectations within all three groups until enough time passes to allow some assimilation. True assimilation would take 20 years or more but the fences will likely only be for about five years so the truly old guys will all be gone and we finally see something like that "shot from a cannon" surge in each of our seniorities. By then, new routes, aircraft, bases coming and going will all so change the landscape that nobody would be able to say "I would have been a captain on that if this hadn't happened".
4. Arbitration will happen. They say the perfect deal is one where nobody is happy. My experience just forbids me to believe any SLI will be found satisfactory by everybody. I sense the east will be the least happy with American guys next and AWA guys content, but not satisfied. The arbitration will be NMB ( I believe) and wiggle proof. I have to check with my lawyer, but I think the NMB decision will also be highly litigation resistant. Whatever it is we will be stuck with it until British Airways buys us out....
There is room for tons of discussion under each of these points, but I would put my money on the final process looking a lot like this.