Viewing page 37 of 76

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

To All Active ALPA Members   -21-   January 26, 1948

Members who don't pay their dues are not only welshing on their Association to which they owe so much, but they are not paying their share of the salaries and expenses to the regular air line pilots representing them, on leave from their companies, helping to make employment agreements and acting as the sentinels of safety for all air line pilots and doing all of the other things necessary to keep the air line pilots from being relegated to the helpless state they were in before ALPA.

9. SIDELIGHTS ON TOPSIDE CONTROL AND ACTIVITIES OF ATA.

At an annual meeting of the Air Transport Association held in Washington on December 4, 1947, a budget of $360,000 was approved for the first half of 1948. The re-elected directors of ATA are W. A. Patterson, United; Eddie Rickenbacker, Eastern; C. R. Smith, American; Juan Trippe, Pan American; and C. Woolman, Delta. The newly-elected ATA directors are Terrell C. Drinkwater, Western; LaMott Cohu, TWA; Croil Hunter, Northwest; and Robert Smith, Pioneer.

At the ATA's December 4 annual meeting, departmental reports were heard including a proposed legislative program relating to taxation, air line financing, federal regulatory control of air transportation, liability, air travel, and labor relations. This ATA-proposed legislation includes provisions to amend the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 (the air line pilots' section 401-1), thereby eliminating the statutory requirements that air carriers maintain minimum rates of compensation, maximum flying hours, and other working conditions and relations so as to conform to Decision 83 of the National Labor Board. Apparently, all the ATA wants to do is eliminate the 85 maximum flying hours and all the minimum wage legislation contained in Decision 83 for the air line pilots, and all the federal law protection for which they fought through the years. In addition, the ATA-proposed legislation seeks to amend the Railway Labor Act. They hope by this maneuver to emasculate and render ineffective this law which has operated so successfully for nearly 50 years on the railroads and since 1936 on the air lines.

At the ATA's December 4 meeting, the Board of Directors elected the following slate of officers: Emory S. Land, ATA President, $50,000; Robert Ramspeck, Executive Vice President, $35,000; Milton W. Arnold, Vice President - Operations, $25,000; Stuart G. Tipton, General Counsel, $30,000; and John W. Thompson, Director - Public Relations, salary unknown.

This will give you a brief insight into the 1948 activities of the air carriers' representing organization, its finances, top personnel, and what they hope to accomplish. This isn't propaganda; it's a report of actual happenings and the planning of the organization supported by the company of which you work.

10. RESERVE COMMISSIONS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES.

Now that things are getting back to normal, the air branches of our military forces are re-forming and re-organizing their reserve units. They are, at the same time, attempting to tie up loose ends.

Enclosed is a Reserve Officer questionnaire card that is self-explanatory. The purpose is to procure for the air line pilots, who were prevented from going on active duty during World War II, promotion to higher grades in recognition of their wartime flying even though it was not done in uniform. Present indications are this will be possible.