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August 22, 1949

A Concise Report of the Contract Committee's Activities from March, 1946 up to the Signing of our Present Contract August 16, 1949

This Committee was first set up by Council Chairman B. S. Macklin at a regular Council meeting. The original members consisted of: 

Jack Faes - Copilot Representative
Bob Silver - Reserve Pilot Representative
B. S. Macklin - Council Chairman
M. Gitt - Contract Committee Chairman

This Committee promptly met and drew up proposals for the Council's consideration. This resulted in the pilot group formally opening the contract on July 1, 1946. A series of conferences with the Company were initiated immediately thereafter. These conferences extended into 1947. 
In the Spring of 1947, before our contract had ben renegotiated, the Company request us to consider immediately a Bermuda Supplemental Agreement so that the Company could initiate their Bermuda Operation. We there upon dropped our contract negotiations and the same Committee negotiated, in very short order, the Bermuda Supplemental Agreement which was signed April 23, 1947.
Upon the completion of the Bermuda Supplement, we went back to negotiating our original Agreement. Finally, on June 20, 1947 this Agreement was also signed. The actual negotiations covered a period of from August 1, 1946 to June 20, 1947, ten and a half months. 
The Committee's job, however, was not yet completed. The Bermuda Supplement stated that the pay Sections for First Pilots and Copilots would be subject to renegotiation after three months. After a series of extensions on both our part and the Company's, conferences were attempted in the Spring of the following year (1948).
In the meantime, the Company indicated that it would like to start DC-4 operations domestically in the summer of that same year. The Council asked this Committee to meet with the Company to negotiate an amendment to our contract to enable us to fly DC-4's domestically. Our contract did not provide for any equipment heavier than 30,000 lbs. or more than two engines. 
This Committee met with the Company on DC-4 negotiations on June 3, 1948. This Committee had a new member, Herb Huston, replacing Jack Faes who was on sick leave. After meeting with the Company throughout the month of June, the Company suddenly pulled a "switch" and decided that they were not going to fly DC-4's domestically after all. 
While the Contract Committee was meeting with the Company, the Council had appointed a Fact Finding Committee under the Chairmanship of Howard Alsop. This Committee prepared a proposal for again opening our contract in 1948. On July 1, 1948 we formally opened our contract for negotiation. On July 1 the Company decided to discontinue DC-4 negotiations. And on July 1 the Company also formally opened the contract for negotiation, and submitted to us a proposal that consisted of an entire new contract from cover to cover. We soon learned that