Here's an idea:
If you lost your job at an ALPA carrier - you go to any regional and have ALPA make up the difference between first and second year FO pay so the furloughee can at least survive/make better cash than unemployment. You start as a bottom-of-the-list FO for bidding purposes.
Or.... if you have a "flow-back" option, you go to the bottom of the list as an FO and get paid years of service from the carrier from which you are coming from. In other words, if you are a 2nd year NWA FO, you go to the bottom of the list for bidding purposes, but make 2nd year FO pay.
But in any case, it's not right for any mainline guy to go back to regionals and displace anyone already there.
It's not a matter of "right" or "wrong".
I always hate it when "major" pilots complain about "they're flying OUR jets". Well, yes and no. The fact is, in most cases those major pilots
negotiated to allow scope to take those off the property in exchange for other things . . . and one of those things is FLOWBACK.
Contracted lift companies, and by extension the pilots who agree to fly with them, agreed to this stipulation and enjoy the benefits in times of growth and plenty. Nevertheless, their companies agreed to FLOWBACK as a condition to that growth.
So . . I would agree that airline pilots should get EXACTLY what they negotiated from their carriers; no more, no less. They shouldn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for doing it either. This is something planned out and bargained between the airline, the airline pilot, and the contracted lift company long before the downturn activated a FLOWBACK situation.
Do I feel sympathy for the contracted pilot?
Absolutely!!! Of all parties involved, he was probably the only one who never had a seat at the table. But it's in no way "unfair". He chose to work under conditions where he knew this was a possibility, and benefited from the growth and expansion in the good times.
He should also have known going in this could happen, and plan for the eventuality. While I'm sympathetic the angst your post represents, it's really a case of wanting to change the rules after the game has been decided.
As an aside, I assure you, no airline pilot is thrilled at having to go back and having to work at a contracted lift company either.