First, I'm sorry my arguments compel you to "sigh."

Second, in citing Arbitrator Nicalou's quote from 1990, the 2008 board was making the point that neither party in the arbitration posed an acceptable solution, and that arbitrators do not expect such.

Third, I think that in quoting Capt. Brucia, you're taking his words out of context, just as you did with the quotation you cited about the board's preference for status and category over date of hire. Just as that statement did not express a overall acceptance of the Delta position over the Northwest one, Jim patiently explained two things about longevity that you failed to mention.

His first point with regard to longevity stressed that it is impossible to integrate CAL pilots strictly on that basis because our list is a product of two arbitrations and a commuter flow-through agreement. The dates of hire do not line up chronologically on the list. There was abundant supporting testimony on that point from other witnesses.

His second point with regard to longevity stressed the longstanding arbitral president of not putting furloughed pilots on the list ahead of working ones.

As a co-author of the revised merger policy, Jim stressed that the inclusion of longevity as a named consideration did not negate the preamble to the policy, which stressed that the three specified considerations were to be factored in "among others."