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ALPA and NAL Sign Agreement Ending 9-Month and 3-Week Strike [[stamp]] THE AIR LINE PILOT [[\stamp]] Vol.17 - No. 10 Published by The Air Line Pilots Association, International, 3145 W. 63rd St, Chicago, Ill. November, 1948 ALPA'S Tenth Convention the Largest - 6 Days - 152 Delegates [[Image]] DEBATE - ACHIEVEMENT Amendment One to the Constitution of the United States, known as the Bill of Rights, states: "That Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to assemble peacefully, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." That was the Tenth Convention in action. "Mr. Tedlock, you have the floor." In the background is the National Airlines pilots' strike display. ★In Air Safety, Trail Blazing Action... The Tenth Convention indicated the air safety awareness characteristic of all ALPA conventions, when it passed 29 resolutions directly involving air safety. The Tenth Convention laid down well-surveyed lines of action extending into every field of increasing air line safety, the topmost of which was a request to the 81st Congress to re-establish the independent Air Safety Board in accordance with the recommendations of President Truman's Air Policy Commission. ★In Vision, It Looked Ahead... In a world made small by air line transportation, the delegates to the Tenth Convention looked far into the future and punctuated their vision by ratifying the articles governing the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations, written and approved at the third international conference of air line pilots held in Paris, France, September 20-25. ★In Inspiration, There Was No Lack... Arriving fresh from weeks of National Airlines strike settlement negotiations, President Behncke, in his state of the Association report, covering ALPA's activities for a two-year period, spoke extemporaneously for five hours and 20 minutes, falling only 10 minutes short of his Ninth Convention five and one-half hour extemporaneous report, heralded by the press as "words on the production line." When asked why he stopped speaking after five hours and 20 minutes, only 10 minutes short of his previous record, he observed: In ALPA, many things happen in two years, and even a sketchy outline takes time. I didn't realize I talked that long. Anyway, there's little kick in breaking one's own record. ★In Democracy, It Was Tops... Floor debate at the Tenth Convention was limited only by Robert's Rules of Order with the limit on speaking time suspended. The statesmanship of the delegates rose to a new high in reaffirming the democratic structure and procedures of ALPA by approving unanimously, without debate, a committee recommendation giving full voting and representation rights to all active ALPA members, irrespective of pilot classification. And to leave no doubt that they meant what they said, they unanimously elected Copilot F. A. Spencer to one of ALPA's highest offices. [[Image]] THE BEGINNING President Behncke said: "This, the Tenth Convention of the Air Line Pilots Association, is now in session. Mr. Secretary, call the roll." The time was 10 a.m., November 9, 1948, and the place, the Bal Tabarin Room. Hotel Sherman in Chicago. OF EPIC STATURE An epic among epics was ALPA's Tenth Convention, which was all of the democracy, drama, vision, and just plain hard work of ALPA rolled into one. By the yardsticks of sheer size and the amount of work accomplished, its six action-packed days assumed proportions that stamped it as second to none in ALPA's entire long history. Well-planned advance preparation, an operating system of committees and subcommittees, and floor session conducted along the best parliamentary procedure all contributed to make the Tenth Convention a smooth, well-organized machine. Here, assembled in floor sessions conducted during the Convention, held in the Bal Tabarin Room of Chicago's Hotel Sherman from November 9, 1948, to November 15, 1948, are the men whose combined talents, sincere unanimity of purpose, and visionary thinking provided the elements that make that vast difference between merely a gathering of men and those destiny-bound for a place in ALPA history. The 152 delegates, 77 of them first pilots and 75 copilots, representing the pilots and copilots of 29 air lines, made the Tenth Convention the largest ever held by ALPA; the 162 resolutions, that passed through the committees to be acted upon the floor during the six days, left no doubt about its accomplishments. But above and beyond that, the real measure of success and the personality of the Tenth Convention lay in the human element - the spirit of its delegates, their tenacious ability to pursue and attain distant goals, and the never-lacking spirit of democracy in action conscientiously working for the greatest good of the majority. These were the things that made the Tenth Convention great and memorable - great enough for President Behncke to call it "the greatest in ALPA history" - and these were the men that imparted those things to it. [[Image]]
