Furthermore, the argument over the relative inexperience of a new-hire is faulty. I understand that brand new guys aren't really pulling their full weight right out of IOE. However:

1) Does the Captain, who is picking up the slack, get a pay bump to compensate?

2) Is there a 3 yr. FO sitting in the jumpseat, to help out, 'cause we all know that the newbie is not "really" qualified?

No, because the newbie is qualified, and is the only FO sitting in that airplane that requires an FO, so he d@mn well should be paid full FO pay.

Additionally, most guys get into the swing of things in a few months. If you're flying, and not just warming up the crashpad on reserve, it does not take a full year to come up to speed. I believe Champion gives newbies a big raise at 6 months (several dollars/hr) Why not try something like that? It is absurd to justify a huge year long pay-cut (longer at PCL, 'cause you start the 1-ry clock after IOE, right?) just to make up for the federally mandated non-transferable training. It's not the new guys fault, is it?

If we're going to raise the bar, it should be for the whole seniority list, across the board.

Besides, it would be a real coup to get regional first year pay above the cr@p-@ss first year pay on offer at NWA. This would help them out, too.