signals
Veteran
"If my union company were to merge with a non-union company, BY RIGHTS, since I've been paying my dues longest, I will have seniority over NEW-Comers. "
But you see that doesnt make any sense at all! The company is who you work for but the union is a representative. You draw a paycheck from your employer you pay the union to represent you. That is any workers right to have "union" but that doesnt mean that right can displace another worker who merges with-in with a company when the "company" has purchased another. Did the union purchase the company being merged? If they did not they do not have a say in who is entitled to seniority unless there is specific contract language the "company" has agreed to prior. just because an employee has paid dues longer does not mean that a merged employee's length of service is null and void for the simple fact, they were working at another company non-unionized.
I see your points and actually can respect your comment. Unfortunately, the new union member is at the bottom of the union seniority. That may not make sense, but that is how it is done in my union and a former union I was a member of. Of course these scenarios may be null and void in the airline industry.
Here's another scenario that I will use as a FICTITIOUS example. Say a unionized fa has 10 years seniority. If the fa became a pilot and worked for the same airline, the former fa would be at the bottom of the pilot's union seniority list. That's how it would work in my union, where we have multiple unions in my industry.
Again there are many union and non-union Corporations where the combo works for them.