East coast navy
Veteran
It doesn't matter what's fair... What matters is what the majority wants. That what makes a democracy system a (democracy system.)This is exactly how it works in my building, and I argue that it should. I went into feeders early in my career so I could move up that seniority list. Working nights is no joke and I have, and continue, to do that until my seniority gets me a job that works day hours. Why should a package car driver who has made the choice to work in package most of their career get to bump me down from my spot in feeders just because they feel its their "time" to go. If they wanted the better day hours they should have come in sooner. I have former package drivers who have way more company time than me beneath me on the seniority list, and at the same time I have off the street hires who have less company time than me above me because I didn't go into feeders early enough. The jobs are different, the challenges are different, and therefore the seniority should be different.
Now with that being said my answer to the OP is this. The only fair way to transition from one senioirity system to another is to have two lists. The first list would be the current drivers in that department who would get to continue to use their seniority as they always have. The 2nd would be the new incoming drivers who would work under the new seniority rules. As the guys from the first list retire and new drivers start to fill up the 2nd then the transition to the different seniority rules would be complete once all the drivers from the first list are gone. To shuffle around the entire seniority list just to benefit a few drivers who didn't go into feeders soon enough or came in late and are at the bottom is just plain wrong.
Bring things to a vote, to put them to rest.