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Affiliated with the A. F. of L.

"Schedule with Safety"

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Air Line Pilots Association
international
3145 West Sixty-Third Street
Chicago 29

August 10, 1948

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Telephone Grovehill 2200

[[image - logo]] 473

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE BE READ ALOUD AT THE OPENING OF YOUR COUNCIL MEETING

Dear Chairmen:

This is the Council Mailing covering the months of April, May, June, and July. It should have reached you sooner, but the hopper on the ALPA's representing machine at Headquarters has been clogged with "must" projects that we couldn't get mailing under way any sooner. Shortly after the first of 1948, the air line industry took off on a mad whirl of activities that seems to be increasing in both amounts and tempo until, at times, one wonders where it is all going to end. The fellow who said that there are no dull moments in our business wasn't just talking, and the fellow who was looking for a lull or a so called stabilization period is indulging in wishful thinking. There never has been one and there is none in sight.

ALPA's activities have reached a new high which have been further augmented by the fire-trap equipment that has been introduced on the airlines, and the National strike. When we speak about activities of ALPA increasing, we must not be unmindful of the fact that the industry has grown, the Association has grown. Let's take a look around. We now represent the pilots on 29 air lines. Not so long ago, there were 15 or 16. Not so long ago, we thought we had many councils when the number reached 50. Now we have 84, scattered to the 4 corners of the world. We have in effect 24 employment agreements. this means also 24 grievance sections and Adjustment Boards.

The following are paragraphs taken from current letters to the Local Chairmen and the Master Chairmen on the delinquent dues and assessment problem:

"Head Quarters has been pinned down ever since the beginning of 1948, and especially since the start of the National strike on February 3, with an unusual burst of activity straight across the board in all fields of ALPA's representing work, the cost of which is astronomical. Representing activities involving another round of employment agreements making with all of its attendants costs -expenses of conferees and flight pay loss; safety hearings and investigations; crash investigations; law suits; Presidential Emergency Board hearings; hearings before the CAB combatting CAR changes; international activities; National Airlines Certificate of Convenience & Necessity revocation hearings; pilots certificate CAA revocation proceedings; a steady stream of grievances and System Board of