So what was that jab in one of the Town Halls a couple of months ago about how the FAA had "signed off" on some change to ER TOE rules, and they had "talked to ALPA" about the pilots' part, causing all the reps to simultaneously blast out "Whoa, we know nothing about this, there has been no proposal from the company"?

I had the very distinct impression the company was trying to say the hangup to 'fixing' this was ALPA. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the company, nor doubting you tunes. On the contrary, it sounds like they grossly misrepresented that they were limited by ALPA, not the FAA, and needed relief. When in fact it sounds like, if true, the FAA has already given them the dispensation they need.