When the post-911 furloughs started at UAL I was a semi-junior 757 FO at maybe 80% overall. They were north of 10K total pilots so some adjustment should be made in the comparison to FedEx. UAL was furloughing 100 per month and it took them almost 2-years to get to me. The process started with excessing me off the 757 to the A320 almost a year after the attack, training, IOE, flew it for 6 months, excessed to the 737, training, IOE, flew it for 6 months then "see yah". Of course, this was done using the "normal" bidding at most airlines where you get an award (or excess) and are in training the next month.
Untill we see that kind of prep work being done to align our seniority list and get the target bodies into the seats they want to empty, furlough isn't happening. 4.A.2.b is doing nothing for us other than give the company a way to legally cut our pay hours as some of us worry about something that can't happen anytime soon. FedEx has shown time after time that they're far more reactionary than strategic when it comes to manning the airline with a well thought out process. Hence the ridiculously long bid cycle we've all come to hate as just one example.