Originally Posted by
nwaf16dude
Because pay rates change (sometimes in the wrong direction). Seniority doesn't.
I'm sure you'll tell me that SWA is immune to future pay cuts, and you might be right, but I wouldn't bet my seniority on it.
Then how about a 10-15 year pay fence? Integrate seniority by DOH or relative seniority, but keep the pay rates separate--and at current levels for 15 years or so. (Of course, any future percentage raises/cuts would be applied to the base pay rate for each side.)
That would certainly maintain both sides' "carreer expectations:"
AirTran expectation: 737 Captain at X pay
Southwest expectation: 737 Captain at Y pay
The merits of this idea notwithstanding, does anyone know if the unions can negotiate that sort of thing, or are they only allowed to agree on the list itself?