In my shorter-haul days we had a co-pilot who had been previously employed by Eastern Airlines. He had been an instructor on light aircraft at the time, when Eastern called him out of the blue and asked him if he wanted a job. He took it, worked there for a year before they went bust and ended up with our commuter airline. It was generally accepted that he would never pass a captain's checkride, and every time he walked through the crew lounge he was greeted with hoots of derision. Be verycareful before you go up against ALPA. We don't take kindly to scabs.