Local 109 Seniority: A change in the wording opens  

The new contract changed a word in the pilot bidding seniority list that should reshuffle the entire list.

The old language was (italicized for emphasis):

"Bidding Seniority - Biddin Seniority shall be defined as a Pilot's length of uninterrupted Pilot credited service with the Company..."

The new language is (italicized for emphasis):

"Bidding Seniority - Biddin Seniority shall be defined as a Pilot's cumulative length of Pilot credited service with the Company..."

So, before, if you worked for the company and left, then came back, you started over in bidding seniority instead of cutting back in.

And, now, according to the contract, you get to leave and come back keeping all your cumulative pilot service from before.

That means, anyone who left the company in the past, can come back ahead of many.  For instance, say you go worked for the company for 8 years, and then quit to work for a competative company for 3 years.  Then, things aren't working out for you and you decide to come back.  The company then rehires you and you get to keep all your 8 years of seniority to go on the bidding seniority list 8 years above all those who stayed or hired on after you.

But, the real question is, now that the language is concrete, can everyone who rehired on after they left have their bidding seniority adjusted to match the new contract language??   Are those pilot's being credited now for their cumulative pilot service, when before they were not?  How are those who started over at the bottom being addressed?