This is exactly what happened in the DAL/NWA merger. ALL of the bypassed furloughees retained their original standing amongst their peers and they were slotted into the list at the appropriate spot.

It didn't mean the company had to immediate recall, only when hiring was needed were they invited back, but at the same spot they would have been had they been working the whole time, with longevity for their involuntary furloughed time for payrates, vacation, etc.

Not seeing how a bypassed furlough guy could be pulled from the AA sli and then reinserted lower behind peers that already accepted recall.

The guys who accepted a job at AA/US since have known that furloughees could return at a future date ahead of them when they started. Merger didn't change that fact.