Are you talking about a staple?

The story I keep hearing is bilateral flow leading to an eventual staple. Will it actually happen? Who knows. I give it 25% odds.

That is interesting. About the only way the mainline pilots would buy it would be by unanimous agreement to a staple. But would the W/O pilots go for a staple? I'm not too sure that the senior ones would bite off on it. It would go a long way to ending any whipsaw and outsourcing though.

Theoretically though, how would that work?

Yeah, a senior regional guy might be at the bottom of DAL, but in relative seniority on equipment (all the RJ's) his QOL should remain relatively equal? Until mainline guys bid down to the RJ's for better schedule. Then I guess that would screw that plan, huh?

When I was at ASA during the PID, I offered this scenario. Didn't go anywhere, but tell me what you think of it.

Arrange the W/O SL however works for you. When it was just Comair and ASA, DOH would have worked. Then staple to the mainline with the following conditions.

Everyone keeps DOH for pay, travel, vacation etc. Each pilot elects to be affected by the flow up/down or not. Those who choose not to are fenced to the largest equipment negotiated. (-700 or -900.) In the event of a flow down, the flow goes around them. They cannot be displaced, but neither can they bid bigger equipment. I believe Compass has something like this.

For those who choose to join the flow, when their seniority allows them to bid bigger equipment, they go to it at whatever their DOH pay would be. So they are not put back on NH pay. Been at ASA for 8 years, get 8 year pay when you change categories.

As far as the argument about hiring, set two minimum hiring brackets. Have less than say 1500 hours, (negotiable,) start on the RJs. Have over the said amount, start on the DC-9. So even if a guy hired after you starts on the DC-9, when you can hold it, your seniority number would be better than his, and you get paid more than him.

I'm sure there are holes in this, and some will say it's unfair, but how else to do it?

I like the idea. give me a place where I can stay for a career not start all over if I want to move up anywhere. that's the best part about it. I'm just a young guy though and i'm sure there are old guys that think exactly opposite because they are on the opposite end of the career path.

That's the thing. How can they? There is no way it will affect them. The mixing is all on the bottom end. Now, some negative comments I have gotten from senior guys is how this impacts their squadron buddies who haven't made the jump. My reply is that I'm not about to spend any negotiating capital on someone who isn't contributing to the company's bottom line. DCI guys are contributing. If the bubbas don't like the set up, they are free to apply at some other carrier.

If you merge a regional with a mainline, if it wasn't a stable and DOH came into play somewhat, you would have to go to every pilot at the mainline and see how much time they had at a 121 carrier, because what if a 2007 hire at Delta had 15 years at ASA before going over to Delta? Would the 10 year CA at ASA go above the 2 year FO at Delta that had 15 prior years at ASA? I don't know if that would be that fair.

This seems fair to me. Of course I only have two years in the industry so I'm not sure of the opposing views of this. You basically get the choice to try and move up or stay put with security. I like it. Now make it happen! Ha

No, you do not allow the mainline pilots the ability to try and claim something they gave up. When I left ASA, I resigned my seniority number. I now have no rights to that nujmer and the associated DOH that went with it. With the staple, the Guy who left ASA one week prior to the staple would have bidding seniority to everyone stapled below him. However, those guys would be getting more pay and vacation than him, based on their DOH. Are we now going to be Socialists and complain because someone junior to us for bidding is making more money? If that's the case, then I want a cut of everyone junior to me who rakes it in doing Rolling Thunder.