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To All Active ALPA Members -23- January 26, 1948

Some delay was experienced because of slowness of our members to respond to the pension data questionnaire sent out for the purpose of gleaning the information necessary to write a pension bill and its accompanying presentation to Congress. This is still incomplete and another follow-up was recently mailed to bring in a sufficient number of questionnaires to complete the statistical arguments and supporting data for the bill. Every member who hasn't sent in a pension data questionnaire should do so at once. This is extremely urgent.

The first draft of the completed bill went to all directors on December 5, 8, and 9, 1947. A booklet is being prepared by Mr. Latimer describing the bill in common everyday language. A copy will be mailed soon to all members. What the Pension Committee, Mr. Latimer, and Headquarters will decide to do about the exact time for introducing this bill is a decision they will make soon.

12. THE PERCENTAGE-OF-EARNINGS DUES COLLECTION PROGRAM.
The procedures worked out to place in effect the newly-created, 9th Convention percentage-of-earnings method of assessing and collecting ALPA dues has met with marked success. Later, this method was slightly revised by the second Executive Board meeting in November, 1947. The Executive Board divided the annual earnings into increments of $1000 instead of $2400, the increments in the original plan.

The plan is to have Headquarters check at the end of each year to determine the accuracy of the dues estimate cards sent to the Accounting Department by individual members. The exact method of going about this total annual earnings checking has not yet been determined. It is felt is might best handled through the councils, using, as an annual earnings check, the company payroll report for income tax purposes. There will be more on this shortly, either to the individual members of the councils.

Remember, accurate annual-earning estimates will reduce the time and work of Headquarters which can better be expended on other representing activities. If a member estimates low and later collects retroactive pay, or receives more annual pay than originally anticipated, the resulting difference in amount of dues must be paid. If a member estimates high, the same idea is applicable in reverse and a refund is due. The correctness of the plan has been proved. To make it work successfully requires the making of prompt and correct estimates of annual earnings from air line flying. It is mandatory that every member file one annual-earning-from-air-line-flying estimate each year. If you have not made out an annual earnings estimate card for 1948, mailed from Headquarters on December 15, 1947, please do so at your earliest convenience. If you have mislaid this card, notify Headquarters and another will be mailed forthwith.

13. LOCAL COUNCIL AND LOCAL EXECUTIVE ACTIVITIES.

The local councils of ALPA are its backbon. If they're strong, ALPA is strong. If they are weak, ALPA is weak.

The representing and operating experience of ALPA during 1947 reveals that the councils were, in certain instance, the weak spots in ALPA's representing structure. Local Council inactivity and lackadaisical attitudes take the driving force out of ALPA efforts and they quickly become ineffective.

It's up to every member to keep his council active. If it's inactive, the council membership must insist that it be active. They must ask questions of local council leadership, i.e: Why isn't the local council business being taken of? Why aren't