To be clear for the original poster, the contract says the following:
As for your mention of "pay raise" to change types, that language
does not apply and is strictly reserved for Captains. As referenced below in Article 7.C.9.b:
To further clarify, the company can waive the FO seatlock utilizing the following language, also from Article 7.C. but from part 13. and reads:
In short, under the current CBA, the company is in violation if any FOs transition between Q400 and E170 without also offering that vacancy to all FOs. It's always possible (and likely) that they will simply do whatever they want and fight it out through arbitration. Full disclosure: short of a furlough event, fleet reduction, or hybrid base (such as HNL), the company has NEVER allowed FOs to bid across types.
If you are a new hire (or perspective hire), be prepared to stay on the Q400 until we achieve a new CBA or until you are senior enough to upgrade to CA. Which BTW, stands at about 7 years for all equipment types.