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To All Active APLA Members  -16-  January 26, 1948

and I personally told him the strike would be called the following day. I attempted to call the company during the day previous to the strike to tell them about the pending strike and make a last attempt to remove the cause, but they gave me the secretary routine about the Vice President in Charge of Operations being busy on another phone and that he would call back in a few minutes, which he never did. Next, ALPA Headquarters and the National Mediation Board worked together until the wee hours of the morning of September 30, 1947, attempting to avert the strike. The NMB Secretary was in direct touch with the top AOA and APLA officials all this time up to 2:30 AM on the day of the strike. Still, AOA had the effrontery to express surprise and tell the press we surprised them!

There have been two APLA strikes in 17 years and no strikes during the entire period of World War II. This is a record that is something unequalled in the labor movement. Any enlargement on the details of the two ALPA strikes, TWA and AOA, will be given gladly to any ALPA member in good standing. 

6. TWA AND AOA STRIKE ASSESSMENTS.

Headquarters feels that the best way to explain these assessments to the members is by using the actual figures. In the TWA strike, all members were assessed as follows: copilots $28; reserve pilots $60; and first pilots $100. The money collected on the TWA strike assessment to date is $288,795.62. If every member had paid this assessment promptly, the amount collected would have been $299,697.05. All TWA strike benefits have been paid. The total amount paid out to the TWA pilots to date is $299,687.54. The difference between what was collected and what has been paid is $10,891.92. This difference was paid from the ALPA central treasury at Headquarters under authority of a special action of the 9th Convention. When the 9th Convention took this action, it was the Convention's opinion that all ALPA members would pay their TWA assessments. To date, there is still a deficit of $10,891.92 outstanding which must be collected and paid into the central treasury or ALPA will not break even and the ones owing this assessment cannot be classed as members in good standing. 

Relating to the AOA strike situation, all copilot members were assessed $1.83; reserve pilots $3.67, and first pilots $7.33. The total amount collectible was $27,140,70. Before Christmas, on December 16, the AOA copilots were paid strike benefits on the same basis as the TWA copilots. There are no reserve pilots on AOA. To date $19,219.24 has been collected on the AOA strike assessment, of which $10,028.76 has been paid out to the AOA copilots. Today, 98 days after the AOA strike ended, there is still a deficit of $7,921.46. The AOA first pilots will receive strike benefits on the same basis as the TWA first pilots. 

A complete and correct accounting of the TWA and AOA strike funds is open for examination by any ALPA member in good standing, at Headquarters at any time. 

The bad part about these assessments is the laxity on the part of some to pay them properly. This laxity doubles and triples the work and expense of the Bookkeeping Department and consumes a large part of the time of Headquarters generally. 

The amount and method and all other details of assessing and collecting and paying out the TWA and AOA strike benefits were approved by Convention and Executive Board actions. The strike benefit payments for both the TWA and the AOA pilots were on a pro-rata basis, using the month as the base yardstick. For example, the TWA strike benefit for one full month amounted to: copilots $25; reserve pilots $350; and first pilots $500. The shortest period TWA pilots were away from their jobs was 26 days and the longest 41 days. All the AOA pilots were away from their schedules