Specifically, which west FO could have displaced an east FO WB position on which bid in 2007?
On 9/27/2005 there was a merger event between UA/HP that created an unmistakable career expectation for certain west pilots that transitioning to a FO/CO WB position was a distinct possibility based on the integration of the two companies and the two seniority lists. If HP standalone had acquired a WB aircraft and service to a location that made proper use of a WB, then the most senior west pilots would have expected to be the ones to fly it since no one was senior to them on a stand-alone basis. With the merger came WB positions which solidified the possibility. The only thing that would have prevented a west pilot from having a WB opportunity would be a SLI that specifically prevented that opportunity from being realized for west pilots. No dount that's what the east desired and no doubt the west did not. Then two years later with the two sides not agreeing on a solution other than to go to binding arbitration, the SLI award was issued which answered the question as to if a west pilot would have that WB opportunity or not.If you are in the top 1% for seniority of all pilots at your company, why would you have any expectation other than to be able to select the aircraft type, bases and routes in the company? The expectation was created on 9/27/2005 which means it would not be a windfall for a very senior west pilot to take a WB position in 2007 or 2008.
Relative position for SLI purposes is a one-time snapshot that becomes meaningless as the dynamic variables are constantly changing. NIC took a snapshot of the lists at the merger and slotted everyone on the list into a new, combined list. From that point on comparing relative positions against the static snapshot is an apples to oranges comparison. One day you could be in the fiftieth percentile and the next day a wave of furloughs happens and suddenly you are in the twentieth percentile or whatever. What really matters is that once the slotting occurs each person on the list goes up or down the the list right next to the guy one position above and right next to the person one position below. Unless one or both of those guy's exits the list, they will be there until the next merger or until you yourself exit the list. All three will have a chance to upgrade at roughly the same time. A west pilot certainly does not move up the list faster than the east guy above or below him.