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To All Members   -5-   June 25, 1942

organized employees. A carrier would not look very good coming before the President's special labor panel for transportation and have it revealed that he was a wartime chiseler.

The general attitude around Washington seems to be thumbs down on any move -- and there are plenty being made -- to weaken the hands of labor. Strikes have been kept at a minimum and the spotlight at the moment is being focused upon wartime profiteering which is said to be flourishing to a far greater extent than the public realizes. In other words, the shoe is now on the other foot. Labor has made a promise not to strike and is keeping it. Now capital is the culprit but you don't hear about any legislation to curb capital, such as the big howl which was raised when everybody thought there were too many strikes.

In any event, there is no need to worry about the ALPA's being on slippery ground or about any group of workers who are protected with the kind of legislation we are. The only two groups in this country who are thusly protected are the railway and the air line workers.

At present, we are spending considerable time negotiating supplemental agreements covering the pilots and copilots who are flying on the newly-projected airways to faraway overland, over-water, etc. points beyond the limits of the United States. There is still quite a bit to do along these lines but good progress is being made. The main reason for not forging ahead too rapidly in this quarter is the uncertainty involved. At first, the general opinion around Washington was that the carriers and the air line pilots would be used only to pioneer the routes, and the Army would take them over after a month or two. Now this opinion is beginning to be reversed. The Army now says the air lines will be asked to continue to operate these routes and they will be given additional equipment for expansion - that's what they say today - tomorrow???

When the situation becomes stabilized, supplemental agreements must be signed with all companies operating such routes. Along what lines such agreements should be drawn is, of course, a matter of prime importance. Headquarters is of the opinion that all pay scales on these newly-projected operations should follow along the pattern of the scales in the contracts - in other words, the Labor Board formula. This formula, while it isn't the best in the world, has a status backed by years of precedent, which cannot be lightly brushed aside. The carriers, no doubt, will come forward with all sorts of fancy ideas fraught with the usual confusion. Remember ALPA has always been unalterably against a flat salary pay arrangement. The Central Executive Council again went on record at its April 28 meeting against a flat salary for all of the newly-projected operations.

Recently, I crafted several supplemental agreements which are now being considered for adoption on the operations in question. The latest of such supplemental agreements is quoted below. Please consider the figures in the same sense as the use of "John Doe Air Lines, Inc." in this quoted agreement. It is the form and not the figures that I wish to call to the membership's attention. For illustrative purposes, it