Evening star., 1954-08-17
Opposing Views Of Airline Pilots Strike
Ia ne Editor 81 me Star:

OF the facts pertaining to It have
escaped many objective reporters and
every editorial writer. We believe that
the public Is entitled to be Ia possession
OF all the facts along with clear-cut
statement Of the issues The issues and
facts are these.
!. The pilots are not striking against
nonstop coast-to-coast transportation.
The pilots have never opposed nonstop
flights. The Air Line Pilots Association
has q record Of interest and co.opera-
ton in technical progress In the avia-
ton industry Much Of the safety record
Of air transportation In the United
States Is the result of the efforts and
expenditures Of the air line pilots.
2. TIE pilots are striking because. In
putting on their nonstop transcon-
tinental flights. American Airlines
shortcut procedures provided by law
for employer r-employe negotiations II
changes in working conditions are to be
made The pilots made no demands on
the company The company, in effect.
did demand Of it's pilots: ''Your working
rules for % years have stated that you
can't be scheduled to fiy in excess Of
& CASAAV NOAAvAAAA0AO 4A00A VNO 004A " AAAS
that. We're going to change 1t. What's
more. we're not interested In talking
1t over even II that is the proper and
legal procedure. Fly. as you're sched-
uled. at our whim, or be discharged"
8. The pilots have never refused to
confer with Americans management
and such conferences would have pre-
cluded strike. The Railway Labor Act.
under which the relationship between
American and It's pilots Is conducted.
provides procedure for resolving such
problems The pilots have complied
in every way with the Railway Labor
Act. The company, in the first place,
made q one-sided change In pilots
working conditions in direct opposition
to the spirit and intent Of this law
passed by Congress to protect employees
against the very thing American Is at
tempting to do. Then, after attempting
to force their pilots to accept such
change by threats Of discharge. they
refused to discuss or process this prob
lem under the procedures Of this law
and still consistently refuse to do so.
Company claims that they agreed to
arbitrate this issue are false by the
very fact that the National Mediation
Board. the only agency under the Rail-
way Labor Act empowered to make such
a proffer, never proffered arbitration.
4. The pilots have nothing whatSo-
ever to gain In the form of more money
or extra jobs. Their pay will. remain
the same. the number Of jobs will re-
main the same regardless Of the strikes
outcome.
5. The issue involves more than "a
few minutes flying over hours" 1t In
wolves the increased exposure OF the
pilot to excessive fight time and on
duty time. For example, pilot on this
operation recently few II hours and 5
minutes and was on duty II hours. al
though technically scheduled for 8
hours and IS minutes.
6. While the Civil Aeronautics Board
is often referred to by the company, 1t
has no direct part in the actual dispute.
The CAB has no authority to alter
pilots working conditions. The board
itself will admit it. The board did grant
waiver to American Airlines, re-
uling pilots in excess Of hours. But
it was only permission. remaining strict
ly permisSive and not compulsive in any
sense Of the word. The problem still
remained to be worked out between the
parties through proper procedures. In
this instance. too, the company has
ignored the procedures Of the labor
relations laws which apply to the air.
line industry.
Z. The pilots made every effort to
avoid this strike, which, because Of the
company's refusal to discuss this dis
pute under the Railway Labor Act, left
work stoppage as the pilots only pro-
tective recourse against an unnegoti-
ated change of far-reaching and i'm
portant implication in their working
conditions.
8. The decision to cease operations
was made by American AirlineS. The
company had only to temporarily ar
range for crew changes on three flights
in order to keep their entire air line op-
Grating while the dispute was being dis
cuSsed under the procedures Of the
Railway Labor Act. TWA is making
such q change successfully with no no.
ticeable inconvenience to nor objections
from its passengers. American refused
and ceased operations. Operations
could resume Immediately on this basis,
but American, for some unknown rea-
son. prefers not to.
Ed Modes,
Director. Public Relations, Air Line
Pilots Association. Chicago.
In his letter to The Star. Mr.. Modes
says there is considerable misunder-
standing surrounding the American
Airlines pilots strike. Unfortunately,
Mr.. Modes letter contributes no logical
explanation for strike which has tied
up one Of the nations great transporta-
tion systems, inconvenienced thousands
OF travellers, and now threatens hard
ship to thousands of employees of the
struck company. Let us examine Mr..
Modes letter point by point.
/. The pilots say that they are not
striking against nonstop coast-to-coast
air transportation.
Answer: They are opposing the op:
Grafton OF the nonstop flight which
was the subject of the strike they
took. If they do not oppose the nom
stop fight then there is no issue.
2. Mr.. Modes says the pilots made
no demands on the company.
Answer: The pilots. through their
association. made at least one demand
on the Company demand that
the company abandon the operation
Of its transcontinental nonstop flights,
and that demand, to the best Of our
knowledge. is the issue in the strike.
The strike ballot circulated by the pi-
lots union said this was the issue:
To cause the company to cease and