No, not how it works! He was assigned a base as a "start point"  

Company assigns it for their convienence, not his!   The attempt to centralize it so that the 50 mile "local in character" circle, as is now wrongfully in the contract, helps them best.

The reality is that he is home based, awaiting an assignment by the company to travel anywhere!   In reality, NONE of his travel is "local in nature" then, since he is travelling from his actual base (his residence), to another workplace.

So now, when the company picks a primary location, that is now his place of work from which all his travel to other assignments are based (can't deny that contract language).

So, the drive anywhere other than to his primary location is done by ground transportation (deadheading).  He's been assigned to drive to a location other than his primary base (as the airlines call it, domicile), and that ground transportation is taxing the pilot's rest period!   He certainly is not afforded a reasonably brief commute being assigned to travel 90 minutes by vehicle!  And, it clearly taxes a pilot rest and needs to be accounted for when calculating his duty period limitations [135.267(b)&(d)].  

Not counting it as duty is a scheme to avoid providing the pilot regulatory rest!