Finally an actual article for the people squawking about this mtow stuff.

Okay again this cites the 86000lbs scope limitation but does not say what airlines contracts have it. The below article at least states the Alaska is "one major exception" but we all know tsa isn't going to be doing Alaska regional flying likely.

http://m.aviationweek.com/awin/scope-clauses-may-affect-use-new-rjs

"More recently, however, some pilots' unions have given ground on outsourced flying for larger aircraft in exchange for a new cap on the overall number of regional jets or other “sweeteners,” such as a guaranteed ratio between mainline and regional carrier operations. That is a tradeoff the airlines are willing to make because they are eager to unload their 50-seat regional jets and replace them with the larger-capacity aircraft.

Airlines also can use pay increases or other benefit or work rule improvements to try to win concessions from the unions on scope."

The mrj90std hardly exceeds it and can easily get a very specific LOA out of the contracts to exceed the weight but meet the seats in exchange for pay raises and or a limitation on the total number of regional aircraft flown. IE allowing the 1 to 1 replacement of the older fifty seat airframes still in operation. Even using this very possibly as a forward step toward replacing the 50 seater with less bigger new airframes this would have the effect of further increasing scope limitations in a direct way, decreasing the total amount of regional flying while allowing the 50 seat jets to be replaced.