Originally Posted by
Bwipilot
There are numerous pilots who left AAI (with several years of longevity) to start off at the bottom at SWA over the past ten years. That's because they desired a SWA pilot's career well more than maintaining their seniority at AAI. Those pilots will be directly affected if they're slotted below the pilots who were below them at AAI.
Other pilots at SWA made similar decisions to come to SWA over other places--myself included. I know I valued a job at SWA well more than a job at AAI (as well as two majors I was hired at) ten years ago and still do today. Hence, I'd be dismayed to see someone who took a job with AAI 10 years ago be slotted ahead of me on a combined list.
It's too bad that we can't go back a year and ask people what position they'd be willing to take on the opposite list. I'd guess SWA pilots would have required a huge jump in seniority to take a job at AAI (and any SWA CA and most senior FOs would've turned down the transfer for any jump). I'd also surmise that most AAI pilots would've been willing to take a big loss in seniority to transfer to the SWA list.
Alas, we can't do that now. Still, anyone who thinks that relative seniority is reasonable seems irrational to me. It comes off as someone who wants to keep their cake and get to eat it too.
I have no dog in this fight, but you most likely left your previous carriers due to the superior pay and benefits of SWA. You sacraficed your Seniority to make that leap of faith. Those that stayed behind valued Seniority over pay and benefits.
I am sorry, but my opinion is Seniority is everything in this industry, that is the very reason there should be a fair SLI. Pay will not be a huge factor in the arbitrators decision, and IMHO it should not be. Don't forget your history, there was a day when Southwest made very meager wages, compared to the Legacy carriers, some would even say they undercut the competition. But they worked hard over the years and reached a great pay rate. The same could be said for AAI in 20 years, how do your know their pay would not have been on par with SWA's. My point is PAY will not and should not be a huge factor in the arbitrators decision matrix, especially with similar Narrow-Body fleet types.
Just my opinion, I don't work for either carrier, but I do believe preservation of "Relative Seniority" is the number one factor in a fair integration. Good Luck to you all.