Evening star., 1934-01-12
PILOT DISCHARGED
IN AIR WAGE ROW
Labor Board to Probe Dis
miSSaI of BehnCke by
United Air Lines.

A new climax in the long dispute
between air transport pilots and the
transport companies over wages and
labor conditions has been reached with
the discharge by United Air Lines OF
David L. Behncke, veteran pilot and
president of the Air Line Pilots Asso-
citation, and the simultaneous call by
the National Labor Board for an cleo
ton among the pilots of TranSconti-
mental and Western Air of delegates to
represent them in collective bargaining.
Senator Robert F. Wagner, chairman
of the Labor Board, announced that
the facts surrounding dismissal of
Behncke are being investigated. 1t has
been charged that Behncke was dis
missed by the airline because of his
activities in behalf of his fellow pilots.
It also is charged that another
United pilot, chairman of the Pilots
Executive Council in Cleveland, also
has been discharged because of union
activity. This charge. too, will be in
vestigated by the Federal board.
Behncke, one of the Nations senior
air transport pilots, was chief repre-
sentative of the pilots at code hearings,
as well as wage arbitration and dis
elimination hearings before the Ma
tional Labor Board.
Strike of Pilots Averted.
During the course of the wage-labor
dispute the National Labor Board sue
ceeded by the narrowest of margins on
several occasions in averting national
pilots strikes which would have tied
up every large air transport line in
the country. Twice such strikes were
aVerted only an hour or two before the
time set for the pilots to walk out.
Behncke, it was announced today, has
~a,,ortoI 10 Canotor Woonnr thQt Uhnn
he returned to flying duty after con-
Quoting negotiations here that he was
informed by the company he was no
longer employed and that his place had
been assigned to another pilot. The
Labor Board requested an explanation
from the company, which replied last
week. denying discrimination and stat
ing that the company considered him
unemployed because he had not applied
for extension of leave of absence.
Behncke has submitted evidence to
the board that his leave was indefinite
and that the president of the company
had refused to take him back following
his activities in Washington. He has
asked the board to order his relnState-
ment.
Pilot for Many Years.
Behncke has been a transport pilot
for many years, five years having been
spent flying for United on its tranScon-
tinental lines. The Air Line Pilots
Association of which he is president,
is an affiliate of the American Fedora
ton of Labor He was appointed by
the National Labor Board member OF
the boards Fact-Finding Committee on
pilots wages.
In the case of pilots of Transcon-
tinental and Western Air, who it has
been charged have been coerced and
intimidated by the airline, the Labor
Board is taking the action which
precipitated the famous Wierton steel
dispute-calling for an election Of labor
delegates under board supervision.
Transcontinental & Western Air is
one of the companies whose joint dis
pute with its pilots over wages has been
before the board for arbitration. Re-
Gently the Air Line Pilots Association
complained to the Labor Board that
the T. w A. pilots were being coerced
and that the company was attempting
to undermine the pilots union by set
ting up a company union.
Complaint also was received from the
company that one of its co-pilots had
been assaulted at the Newark, N. j.,
airport, following his refusal to support
the Air Line Pilots Association.
Coercion Is Charged.
A delegation of pilots from the
"Transcontinental & Western Air Pilots
Association" yesterday requested the
board to declare that no controversy ex-
listed This action, according to the
American Federation of Labor group,
was due to the coercion of the company.
In arranging the election, the Ma
tional Labor Board stated, it is con-
fronted by several difficulties in taking
a poll in the air." The pilots on the
line 85 in number who will be polled
during the next few days, operate out
of flying fields at number of widely
scattered points on the transcontinenta1
system.
The board is arranging for supervisors
at each of the operating bases, who will
remain on the job for the three or four
days necessary to permit all pilots to
come in off the circuit and vote. Con-
ferences with the company are now in
progress to establish date and other
details of the election.