Usually, when a CA is in the right seat, he has been JA/JM'd into it.

Now, you can potentially open up a big can of worms here. Mind you, I'm talking about a very specific set of circumstances. And there are a ton of guys that will disagree with this viewpoint. My viewpoint is based on my own experience and something I saw go on that I strongly disagreed with. If your airline allows CA's to pick up right seat open time and get CA pay for it cool. They need to pull their head out because it's expensive, but cool for a CA nonetheless if it's within the confines of the CBA. If you have some "entrepreneurial" CA's at your company that call scheduling and volunteer themselves to be JA'd for FO open time, whatever.

Now if you are short staffed, or worse, have pilots out on furlough, than the CA's in the above situation should be pulled aside and counseled, severely.

Now, we all know that by not picking up open time you are not going to get a furloughed pilot recalled and back to earing a paycheck.

But when you have a CA out there picking up right seat open time to boost his pay check and you have guys on the street, that's just lame.