FDJ,
I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I have a finger on the pulse of the Comair pilot group, because frankly, I don't absolutely know how they feel about the Delta furloughees as a whole. I'm too small a fish here I'm afraid. So some of the following is supposition on my part, based on my discussions with other Comair pilots and our MEC. Bear with me, I actually answer your question somewhere near the bottom.
My personal experience is similar to captainv's. When I discuss this with people at work, they generally agree at the end of the discussion that it wouldn't hurt to have you guys on here in the limited numbers we could expect, and still have you keep your seniority number (or maybe they're just humoring me?). In particular, new hires pretty much agree across the board. In fact, even Capt Lawson, when we discussed it last Christmas Day, said that he felt a solution could be reached that would facilitate the hiring of your furloughees at Comair with retention of Delta seniority. He was just waiting for the Delta MEC to get back with him. Which of course never happened, nor is it likely to ever happen.
Some folks who have been here longer than I harbor resentment at what they perceive and/or remember as some negative treatment/comments from the Delta MEC during the acquisition of Comair by Delta Inc. I wasn't here then and I know that folks at Delta don't remember it that way, but for a lot of folks at Comair it's reality (as my old CO told me once - perception = reality). I personally see these issues as unrelated (hiring furloughees and all the other stuff), other folks don't.
Don't laugh at this next one. If you asked a good percentage of the pilots that I have spoken with about the issue of hiring your furloughees, they would say that there is no issue with it. They are welcome to hire on at Comair under the same conditions anyone else is, resignation of seniority. When I point out that it is unrealistic to expect someone to resign a Delta seniority number to work at Comair, they generally shrug and say, "why not, this is a good place to work right now?" They also feel that the Delta pilots are spreading a lie (Comair won't hire the Delta furloughees), when the truth is that any Delta furloughees could easily apply and be hired at Comair, no differently than any of the numerous other furloughed pilots we have recently hired. A lot of this reasoning has to do with a widespread belief that I have also heard espoused by a good percentage of Delta pilots. The Delta and Comair pilot groups are separate entities; the mainline and Comair companies are separate entities. Therefore, goes this line of thought, the Delta furloughees should be treated the same as any other furloughee applying for work at Comair. I also agree with this, but think that due to the current situation this should mean that any furloughee should be able to retain their parent airline seniority number. I personally think considering the circumstances and the 9/11 attacks that had such a major part in causing this industry downturn, that it would be the right thing to do. We could reinstitute our old policy at a later date.
Finally, the article from the DALPA magazine that was plastered on the walls of the Comair crew facility concerning this issue and touting all that the Delta ALPA members had done for Comair rankled a few folks because (1) it had that "nyah nyah nyah, you'll never work here" tone I referred to earlier, (2) they don't remember the past actions of the Delta ALPA folks in quite the same way as the author of the article, and (3) no one reacts well to threats or the perception that someone is trying to push them around.
So my read on the whole thing is (1) there is real sympathy for your furloughees here, (2) most Comair pilots like it at Comair, and some honestly don't see what the big deal is about resigning a Delta seniority number to work at Comair (no kidding), (3) a large chunk of the older pilots at Comair would rather eat glass than do anything that even remotely looks like they've caved in to pressure or threats from their old nemisis, the Delta MEC, and (4) [I like lists don't I?] a certain "circle the wagons" mentality has sprung up due to the perception that the Delta MEC and pilot group have levelled a threat against the Comair pilot group, even among folks who would have otherwise supported the Delta furloughees in this issue.
So I don't think that there is going to be much support for a petition (some would sign it, most would not), or any support for a recall of our MEC. It may come up as an issue in the next election, but that is of no help now.
This may seem wrong-headed to you, but look at it this way. Our MEC said (in his famous letter, and to me personally) that this isn't a dead issue and that he is just waiting for a call from the Delta MEC. Do you think that if you circulated a petition at Delta calling for continued negotiations with the Comair MEC on this issue, that many folks would sign it? I don't think so, though maybe I'm wrong. I think your pilot group would view it as giving in to extortion, just as some in the Comair pilot group would view a reversal by our MEC as giving in to threats.
Now I'm going to make a suggestion (and this is an honest one). Why doesn't your pilot group try and extract a promise (in writing) from Delta management, that due to the coercive nature of the current economy, they will circular file (discard) any letters of resignation receive from furloughed pilots between 9/11/01 and a future date to be established later? The Comair rule only says that the pilot applicant has to resign from their previous job, not that their previous company has to accept that resignation. This might not seem too up and up to some folks, but it's not as if the furloughees would be lying. It would just be a compassionate policy on the part of Delta. It wouldn't cost the company anything, since as it is now they have to eventually take back all the furloughees who don't send in letters of resignation (and who would?) And the Delta pilot group wouldn't have to promise any other pilot group anything to get it. I'm not sure what Delta would want, but you won't know until you ask.
Sorry, honestly wish I could say that I could ride in with the cavalry and make this whole deal right, but I'm just an old retired jarhead/probationary pilot who's too dumb to keep his yap shut. At least they can't take that away from me.
