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Gitt

Mr. David L. Behncke
President, ALPA
3145 West Sixty Third Street
Chicago 29, Illinois

[[stamp]] COPY [[/stamp]]

Dear Dave:
     
I have always had great faith in your judgment and the judgment of those men whom you selected to aid and advise you. I have always defended you personally and your attitude and position on matters of interest to air line pilots, both within our own ranks and in neighborhood "bull" sessions. Consequently, it comes as a great blow to me to find out the kind of pension plan that has been drawn up and is being supported by ALPA.
     
I conscientiously filled out the questionnaire as accurately as possible in the hope that it would be of some help in assembling statistics that would aid in developing an equitable and helpful retirement plan for those who were in need of it. My disappointment, on finding out what I bought, is absolutely thorough and complete.
     
I remember, nearly eight years ago, Nick Laurenzana told you that when ALPA began devoting its time, energies, and moneys on pensions plans or retirement plans it would be the beginning of the end for ALPA. I did not understand that at the time - it sort of baffled me - but now I begin to see what he was driving at. I have found Nick to be right many times on his predictions. I believe he is right this time and he is none too happy about it. Neither am I or many other members of this council, Council 42. I am not speaking for this council as a whole but for quite a large number of individual members. Discussion of the pilot pension plan reveals that Nick was right, this can easily be the beginning of the end. The house that took a long time to build is about to be torn down in one blow. Now I am not trying to get dramatic. This is no time  for dramatics -- it is time we began to grow a little more realistic and not let our enthusiasm get the best of our, or your judgment. 
    
As pension plans go, it must be admitted that this one is not the worst that could be chosen. Nor is it the best. It has lots of good features and not many of the bad features that some other plans have. But it does have a few bad features, not many perhaps, but very bad. There is one bad feature alone that turns me against the plan and many of our other members will never support it either as long as that feature remains a part of the plan. You cannot get your money out. You put it in and you cannot get it out -- they won't let you have it -- you never see it. It is taken away from you before you get it -- it is not yours. If I earn it I want to spend it, throw it away or invest it as I see fit. I earn it, many times with cold sweat running off my chin, and I want it -- I want to put it where I can get it, with interest. I have never studied any other pension plan that refused men that privilege except Social Security. I don't like socialized security -- I don't like socialized medicine -- I don't like socialized grafting. I have always made my own way. I have never asked for mere [[more]] than I expected to give and I have never yet failed to receive all I had coming to me. I have always managed to manage my own affairs and make my own decisions. I have always managed , carefully managed, to see that I never put any of my family's money where I could not at least get some portion of it back. I do not desire to change that policy.