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AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION
International

July 27, 1948

Subject: Continental Stewardess Contract Negotiated

To: All Local Councils 

Dear Chairman:

On Tuesday, April 13, 1948, we began our most trying series of negotiations. On that date we began contract negotiations in Denver, Colorado for the hostesses in the employ of Continental Airlines.

From the start it was apparent the Company was not going to negotiate a contract such as had been agreed to by other air lines, but would insist on including certain provisions in the contract which they knew the hostesses could not agree to and which had not place in a contract. One of the most controversial points in the Company's proposal was a clause in which they stated that each hostess and Association representative must sign a non-Communist affidavit. We heartily disagreed to this, not only because such requirement by the Taft-Hartley Act does not apply to representing organization under the Railway Labor Act, but principally because of the apparent unwillingness of the Company to deal fairly with the certified representatives of their hostesses. The Company at all times was trying to make the hostesses believe they were in with some type of roughneck and subversive labor organization whose purpose was not to help them but to do them harm. 

For three days we argued back and forth and little progress was made, although a few of the less controversial sections were finally agreed to. Negotiations ended on Thursday, April 15, at which time we agreed to meet with the Company once more to try to work out our differences. May 17 was set as the date for resuming contract negotiations, but on May 10 the Company wrote us stating they would be unable to meet on the 17th. Negotiations were postponed until May 24. 

Representing the Company at this first series of negotiations were: Mr. Robert F. Six, President; Mr. C.C. West, Executive Vice President; Mr. Roy F. Vincent, Director of Personnel; Mr. L. Dennis, Director of Flight Service; and Mr. Freeman Fish, Manager of Passenger Service. Representative of the Association were: Miss Mildred Nordell, Chairman of Local Council No. 48-Denver; Miss Virginia McNeil, El Paso-based hostess; and Mr. Victor J. Herbert, acting president.

On Monday, May 24, we resumed negotiations for the hostesses at Continental Airlines' offices at Stapleton Field, Denver, Colorado. This was one of the strangest groups of negotiations the Association hasher had the misfortune to attend. After negotiations had proceeded for about half an hour, during which time we discussed hours of service -- one of the few points upon which we had reached agreement at the previous negotiations -- Mr. Dennis, Director of flight Service, wanted to include something different in this section than had already been agreed to. The Association representatives stated the proposed change was not acceptable. At this point Mr. Dennis left the room in