Originally Posted by bedrock

We have to modify or get rid of the seniority system, it's the only way to level the playing field. How to do that, I have no idea. One way, I suppose would be to see how it works in Asia and places without it. Or get that mythical national seniority list going.

Another wrinkle in this is the current economic climate has businesses scared of the uncertainty and unwilling to plan strategically. We are a hair's breadth from another stock market correction or crash. The P/E ratios are too high, 20:1, when the historical avg is 10 or 12:1. The stock market is stuck in molasses because the big boys refuse to pump anymore money in. It has topped out. It's now just trading bot v trading bot.

In this climate, signing a long term contract is too risky for business. This whole hiring wave could end in the snap of the fingers if there is a big correction; historical indications are one is coming, they know this. You won't hear it on MSNBC or CNN, they want the little guy in while they get out and go short. If there is a correction and the govt. decides to do another stimulus package, it won't have as much of an effect and it will cause the price of oil to skyrocket, hurting airlines. Of course, hedging could mitigate this, but I'm not sure how many are hedged when prices are so low as they are now.