I agree. I also don't think it is the company's job to "make us whole" as if we owned a home back in the states.
What IS important is that each person take a cold hard look at whether or not the upgrade (if applicable) is worth the tradeoffs. You MAY actually have a lot more taxable income if you go overseas due to loss of real estate deductions, etc.
So--figure out what you tax basis will be.
Next--factor in or factor out auto costs. If you skip owning a vehicle in either domicile (which is an option since both have good transport) then you won't be paying auto payments and insurance, etc.
Kids in public school? Factor in tuition. (dead horse...)
You get the idea. This is the classic "your mileage may vary" type gig.
What I suspect most folks will find out is that if they look at the numbers, even making wide-body captain's pay may not create much "monetary" gains over staying in MEM and being an narrow-body captain. Ditto the S/O that goes to Paris to fly the 757 as an FO.
That doesn't mean some folks won't come out ahead, or that other folks won't bid it for the "adventure". However--honestly--I don't think anyone is going to be doing it for the money.
My concern is that as a lot of people take a long hard look at the numbers, we'll be short in some seats and we'll be inversing a fair number of folks. The union disagrees. The company has said "no problem--we'll limit that to 30 days" which is a start. It also means if conditions are as brutal as I think they could be (I'm thinking riding the bus to Canton 3 days a week!) or struggling against a strong euro in France, they will have to inverse MORE Of us to cover the vacancies as they move up the list every month. I expect a lot of frustration and anger between pilots as some guys go and some guys don't (due to vacation, Military leave, family circumstances, etc). Part of the reason I am so adamantly opposed to this LOA is the potential it creates for guys to b1tch, banter, and bicker about being sent away at the "worst possible" times for them personally. As a 6 year Air National Guard guy, I also know there is a perception some guys abuse mil leave. At the same time, we've got guys who have been in and out of combat the last 5 years and we've also had 2 fighter pilots killed on training missions in the last couple years. Although I no longer fly F-15s, I am very sympathetic to the guys trying to hold down two jobs and stay current in two jets. The last thing one of those guys who get about 5-6 days off total a month need is to take a bunch of grief from another pilot for "scamming" his way out of an STV. When we find ourselves attacking each other over something we shouldn't even have in our contract, we all end up losing.
If we just took a red pen through the STV, we'd be okay. Then we'd have to choice to bid or not bid, go or stay. That clause, however, brings everyone--empty nesters, new hires, mid level guys--into the mix.