" I believe that most older guys will want to stay where they are, rather than incurring another training cycle, especially on a new piece of equipment, one where they will actually have to learn their stuff."

Just think how much better off this crew force as a whole would be if what you are saying would have been true a few months ago. Based on the history of this particular group it seems obvious that they will do whatever benefits them more regardless of who else pays the price for their gain. Selfish is as selfish does as Billy Budd would say. The real question is how many more training dollars is this company willing to waste on part time employees with less than a 5 year return for their training? My hope is none..