Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-11
Other AirIines Reap
Harvest, Striking
IA Pilots Told

M Pilots Told
Striking American Airliness
pilots have been reminded that
their counterparts on other lines
are making some money" and
are carrying American customers
while the 12-day old strike con-
tinues.
The reminder came in a letter
from c. r. Smith, president Of
the struck company, to the more
than 1000 pilots participating in
the strike. The walkout was
called in protest against COM
pany policy of scheduling flights
Of more than eight hours air
time.
MFR. Smith said the other air
lines are as happy as Jerks.
"They now have all Of the
business of American Airlines."
he said.
Actually, Mr.. Smith said, only
SO American pilots are affected
by the disputed policy-those
flying nonstop trarS-contin-
email flights between New York to
Los Angeles.
"The company does not intend
to schedule pilots more than
eight hours on the flights with
scheduled intermediate stops"
MIR. Smith said. About 1850
pilots are involved in this type Of
: scheduling.
Letter Made Public.
The comments were contained
in lengthy letter sent over the
week end and made public yes
terday.
A spokesman for the Air Line
Pilots Association, (AFL), of
which the pilots are members,
said the company has been
"bombarding the pilots with that
stuff"
"It's all just wasted motion,
however, because the pilots see
that for just what it is, attempts
to break the STRIKE" he added.
The pilots oppose. the COM
pany's breach of the 23-year-old
eight-hour flying limitation on
the ground that safety is i'm
paired by the threat Of pilot
fatigue.
The company has the ap-
prevail of the Civil Aeronauties
Board for waiver of the eight
hour rule in the transcontinen-
tai nonstop flights. which re-
quire about eight hours and IS
minutes westbound. Eastbound
flights can be completed in less
than eight hours because Of
favorable winds.
Other Conditions Cited.
The pilots have argued that
breach of the eight-hour rule
merely adds to an already bad
condition. They claim that it
is not a fight for an an eight
hour working day. because flying
time has little relation to actual
on-duty time.
Some airlines publish unreal
istic schedules incapable of being
completed in eight hours" one
union spokesman has argued.
Under such practice, pilots
have been flying II or IL hours
with additional on-duty time of
two or three hours, making a
long day by any ones standards"
Mr.. Smith, in a letter to COM
pany stockholders, has declared:
LAS see it, either the union
will demand more money, or it
will demand what any reason
able person would conclude to
be 'feather-beddin :"
Featherbedding would be
brought about by requiring an
additional crew to be included on
the westbound flights or by
elimination of the nonstop
westbound flights to provide for
a stop halfway when a new crew
would be taken on the company
contends.
In New York Federal Judge
Laurence E. Walsh set August
"a as the date of a show-cause
hearing on Americans motion
for a summary judgment against
the pilots for strike damages.
The airlines are suing for 81
million compensatory damages,
adjusted upward as the strike
continues, and $250.O00 punitive
damages against the union.