Ramius,
Maybe I can answer part of your question. I think many furloughed and hopeful regional pilots may feel some resentment that a few major pilots expect to take the sparse coveted regional jobs available in today's market while maintaining their seniority at their former airline. A good number of the regional pilots on furlough can expect to be on the street for a year or more. Many of those people would be more than willing to give up their seniority for the opportunity at a new job, and most would be required to. Can you explain to me why furloughed major pilots would be willing to fly at a regional for a year or more at $18-30/hour when it serves no real career-advancement purpose? Is it fair that furloughed major pilots may not be required to surrender their seniority, while furloughed regional pilots are? It seems to me, (and I am not in this exact situation, so my perspective is probably a bit different from yours) that for the furloughed major pilot, taking a non-flying, relatively high-paying job would be more beneficial than flying for a regional. Clearly, this statement does not apply to everyone. A major could, theoretically, cease operations with pilots on furlough. I can understand these pilots' desire to stay marketable.
Now, having said all of that, I will also say that these are not necessarily my opinions. I feel that if you are qualified for a position and willing to accept the consequences for taking that job, you have every right to apply and accept it. If the company allows you to maintain your seniority, great. If not, that is their choice, and you don't have to take the job. I think the regional pilots that simply enjoy seeing a "big-shot major pilot" on the street without options are few and far between, though there are probably some out there. For the most part, I think regional pilots want fairness, and equality. Additionally, I can see how some currently employed regional pilots might feel slighted that these "temporary" pilots might not take the job as seriously as they do, since they know they'll be gone soon anyway. Again, these are not my feelings, just some observations. I hope that you and all major and regional pilots are recalled shortly and that we can get back to less personal discussions. Good luck.