Viewing page 97 of 116

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

-4-

Flying Tiger and Slick - Continued

Again there were cases of Slick Captains being demoted while Tiger copilots who had never flown captain being promoted to that position.

From the foregoing it is apparent that thus far the methods used for the final resolution of seniority integration problems do not fall within any set pattern. The final solution range from a straight length of service in the early mergers to a ratio concept based on anticipated equipment purchases and hoped for utilization in the more recent ones. The airline pilots are not alone with this integration problem. The railroads were plagued for years before finally establishing a permanent committee to hear and rule on disputes of this nature. Their decision is final.

The ALPA at the last Convention attempted the first movement in that direction. In the past, merging airlines have put their fate in the hands of a man, acting as a neutral, who is usually uninformed in airline operational and managerial problems. His indoctrination in pilot seniority precept. He listens while they expound endlessly on bases, equipment, routes, bid rights, pay differential and length of service until he is completely confused and gasping for straws in an effort to compromise the issues without due consideration for the overall impact. Sometimes the straw he grasps has been proffered by the most persuasive of the two groups, and in these cases the award seems somewhat prejudiced. The last Convention has tried to correct this deficiency by adopting a resolution which will endeavor to resolve merger disputes by recommendations from a panel of pilots selected from disinterested airlines. The last resort will still be the National Mediation Board but the problem now has a much better chance of solution before it reached this point. 

As the first step in augmenting this resolution, all airlines will be polled in the near future on the following two methods of integrating seniority lists:

1. Compiled solely on length of service.
 
2. Determined on the basis of the problems and factors peculiar to the merger.

In tabulating the results, a majority vote for either #1 or #2 shall govern for the pilots' respective airlines and shall be a matter of record in the event of a future merger.