The original poster does have a point that the renewed interest in Q400 rates seems very convenient timing wise given horizons pay negotiations. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a tactic by Skywest management to earn brownie points with alaska by forcing you guys to fly for lower rates.
Anyway I don't think the Skywest pilot group has been given a clear answer on who the proposed rates are for exactly. As usual though a lot of the information we get around here is by word of mouth.
Fwiw we did get an email not too long ago asking if we'd fly the q400 for cr2 rates, I replied that I wasn't interested and it seemed like most the people I talked to weren't interested either.