Compartments and compartmentalization through partnership and plausible deniability while blaming "quotas" and "the government".
Not that it matters but I was flat out told but United's Nancy Stutke in 1997 that I "was not competitive for other pilots in my category".
I said, "Que?"
She said, "You need 7,000 hours and 4 type ratings to be competitive."
I say, "Well how come I know of a few friends at work (yes, I have black, yellow, red, female and brown friends:nuts: ) who just got hired with less time and less type ratings (3,000TT and 1 type).
She said, "You are a white male (under her breath)".
I just hit 7,000 hours in 2007. That's 10 years of potential seniority loss at a carrier that I never interviewed at because I am white and therefore not qualified. I withdrew my app and never applied again.
Not harmed by UAL/OBAP? Sure. I agree. OBAP is nothing more than a mechanism for recruiting standards UAL under Stutke championed.
I did also lose about 300 numbers at US Airways when I was held up for 3 months in the pool because, according to the pilot recruiting department (phone convo) that they needed to maintain a certain class ration quota in regards to EEOC requirements.
How much harm there? In light of what's happened at US with the seniority fallout? Nothing. I'd still be junior to a 2005 hire. What would it have meant though if I had gone on to retire like I was supposed to as #1... after being there for 4 years?
EEOC can kiss my white ass in regards to mandating hiring quotas for a safety sensitive job but then causing recruitment departments to adjust the mins downward for those minorities to qualify for an interview. OBAP wasn't part of a solution to this problem therefore, by default, it was not helping to solve it. At the very least, it resembled an arms dealer working with 3rd world countries.