Originally Posted by
Purple Drank
I don't even know where to start shredding the faulty conclusions in your post. Frankly, it's not worth my time.
It is ironic, however, that by allowing seniority to be non-portable, the "union" effectively handcuffs us to our current employer and lowers our leverage to negotiate better terms. Management knows we can't move laterally without trashing our seniority. In other words, the "union" isn't a union at all.
With the impending pilot shortage, that is a significant handicap for us and a boost for management.
Back to your regularly scheduled leftist tripe.
The advantages to management by having a company-based seniority system is exactly why management would never agree to portable seniority.
Your points regarding the theoretical advantages of having cross-company seniority are very well-taken, but I don't view it as a reasonable goal given the RLA, the existence of multiple unions (and the divisions within each) and multiple companies (that all have an interest in preserving the status quo).
The only thing that would make this happen is a national pilots strike that shuts down the industry. I view that as very improbable for multiple reasons.
If you can come up with another plan to make it happen, I am, as Ross Perot would say, all ears. I don't have the pretense of having all the answers.