I agree that DOH shold be absolute, and YES; it IS an actual "Principle" of mine, unlike yourself. My priciples aren't "relative" notions, nor are my thoughts as to what constitues "Unionism" in any way "relative".
I'm sure it's impossible to accept when you're so firmly convinced that your opinion is the only right opinion, but using relative position as the starting point for combining lists is just as much a principle as your DOH view. The two are definitely contradictory opinions, but that doesn't make one a principle and the other a "relative notion" as you so quaintly put it.
Given that: what's your suggestions for establishing protections for the west people? They can't properly be put into any postion where virtually any east pilot could take their seat. What's the best possible fence "design" that you might have to suggest?
Therein lies the problem - the bigger the differences in longevity between pilot groups the greater the number and complexity the fences need to be if the lists are combined using DOH. Even then, they often only address a potential course of future events and not every conceivable course of future events. On top of that, the implementation of any conditions and restrictions is often subject to interpretation, where much mischief can be achieved by those doing the interpreting.
Just as one tiny example, let's use your "No West captain should be displaced" for an example. First, it's unrealistic - how many East bids have there been in the last 10-20 years where no pilot was displaced? The answer is 0, none, nada - on a single list in DOH order. It's dictating an outcome no matter whether the company grows PHX or eliminates it as a crew base. So you make it "No West captain should be displaced by an East pilot". Sounds good except that West pilots can end up displacing West pilots while East pilots capture vacancies - West pilots move backwards while East pilots advance. As even AAA737Pilot acknowledged, over time everyone will seek the level of whatever their combined seniority number can hold. No amount of conditions and restrictions can change that because it depends of the fate of the company. The process of everyone seeking their new seniority level will likely start with the first combined bid and depending on what happens with the company as a whole could be largely complete within a few years. The most that conditions and restrictions can do is modify the time period somewhat, not stop the process. Take the PI/US merger and the 767 as the perfect example. Within about 18 months of combining the pilot groups, over half the 767 captains were "North" pilots who had no 767's in their pre-merger fleet and despite a "fence" on displacements - North couldn't displace South and vice versa. And that was, as you said, a merger of relatively similar carriers.
In my opinion, it's much better to combine the lists in such a way that if it were put into effect on the day of the merger everyone's new seniority number would hold the same job as they were able to hold with their old seniority number the day before the merger. Then add the minimum conditions and restrictions needed to address such things as fleet differences. Everyone moves up or down depending on the company's fate. Any other way the lists are combined, especially with such drastic differences in longevity as exist in this case, one side is going to see advancement while the other moves backward.
Jim
