Funny you use the term "screwed" in your argument. The irony is quite thick if you read on. Let me start off by saying I hope that no one gets "screwed".

However, there are always at least two sides to every story.

You are arguing whether or not it is "fair" for someone hired at a DIFFERENT company to go ahead of someone hired at your company. If airlines hired a steady 150-200 pilots a year at each company, this would probably be a moot point. However the reality is that airlines typically hire in waves for a few years, then turn the faucet off for a few years. Your age and your hiring date is simply a snapshot in time regarding the company's strength. At the point you were hired, UA may have been King Kong. However, a merger is another snapshot in time. The snapshot in time at the point you were hired doesn't amount to anything except how you will be stacked against other pilots at your original company. The snapshot that matters is right now at the point of merger.

How about this argument. A guy furloughed at UA could have taken a gamble at getting hired at CAL while on furlough the first time, been hired at CAL and already been a Captain, while his brethren stayed on the UA furlough listed and waited. Actually, I'm pretty sure there are a few of those guys at CAL. Since the reductions, I don't think they have those CA positions anymore, but they have a descent relative seniority at CAL. Would it be fair for a guy that was hired at UA and moved to CAL to then have to pay the price of moving to CAL, then pay again when they are merged?

We can all get blue in the face about what is "fair". We are not going to agree and that's why this will go to arbitration like every other merger integration.

The CAL guys won't accept that anyone furloughed gets put in front of anyone actively flying. This is also in addition to 13 additional "growth" aircraft (11 737s, 2 777s that WILL be on property by the end of the year.) Rough math says that this growth will require an additional 150-200 pilots. Next year CAL has more aircraft growth coming on property as well.

It is indisputable that in the absence of the merger with United, CAL would have a very high probability of hiring off the street by the end of the year. (And I would guess we will see if I'm accurate before this SLI gets completed)

In the absence of a merger at United, one could predict a potential for 4-5 years before all the furloughs are recalled and hiring would be required.

Is it fair that a United guy who wouldn't have dreamed of going to CAL in the last decade now gains from the sacrifices CAL pilots made to turn around their airline.

In addition, some UA pilots not to long ago had buttons and stickers that stated "Screw CAL" and "One LESS airline can make a difference" in reference to CAL.

I think in terms of how it will be handled, both CAL and UA pilots can agree to disagree, but also agree that the binding arbitration that will happen will be just that, binding arbitration.