Airlines—Safety measures

ALPA President's Department Records

mstepaniak — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 09:42:42 -0400

The President's Department records are arranged in three parts.

Part I: The Air Line Pilots Association was formed in secret in 1930 by a group of “Key Men” from each airline, they formed openly and affiliated with the American Federation of Labor in 1931. In that same year David Behncke was elected president of ALPA, an office he held twenty years, until being recalled in 1951 (and off and on through 1952 during his legal battle with ALPA). His successor, Clarence Sayen, held office eleven years from 1951-62 and was replaced by Charles Ruby from 1962-70. These three president’s tenures make up part 1 of the President’s Department records. The collection is divided by each president’s term of office, with some overlap in election years, and some overlap between Behncke and Sayen from 1951-52 during the court battles and periodic switches in president. The collection is further divided into: correspondence (external, internal, and with airlines) and the supporting documentation, subject files, and governing bodies and committee records for each president’s tenure. Some of the subjects include: Psychological Testing, Medical Testing, Pilot Benefits, Hijacking, Flight Engineers Jurisdictional Dispute, Crew Complement, Age 60 Rule, United Airlines Class and Craft Dispute, American Airlines Secession, ALPA/ALSSA Split, Behncke Recall, Washington Move, and Technological Innovations.

Part II reflects the office's activities, primarily under J.J. O'Donnell, in coordinating the activities of ALPA local offices and in speaking on behalf of its members in the media and before various government bodies. Predominately correspondence and reports, these records cover subjects such as airline mergers & strikes, airport security, bomb threats, hijacking, and terrorism. Important correspondents include J. Edgar Hoover and George E. Hopkins.

Part III focuses on the careers of the fourth, fifth, and sixth presidents of the Association, J.J. O’Donnell (1970-82), Henry Duffy (1982-90), and J. Randolph Babbitt (1990-98). One of the major issues the presidents from this era had to contend with was deregulation, which completely changed the landscape of the airline industry and the way unions functioned in that system. All three presidents struggled in the aftermath of unforeseen problems and challenges to ALPA pilots including Alter Ego airlines, Chapter 11 union-busting tactics, and the introduction of a B-scale. Other issues they faced include Hijacking, Crew Complement, Age 60 Rule, Cabatoge, Drug and Alcohol Testing, and Strikes at Continental and Eastern Airlines. Part III includes correspondence with government departments, industry organizations, and ALPA members; presidential statements; governing bodies minutes; department files; and committee meetings and reports.

Part IV consists of records from the Southern Airways strike of 1960-1962. The collection largely contains correspondence, including communications regarding matters that weren’t settled until long after the strike ended.

ALPA Governing Bodies: Executive Committee

srafferty — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:33:17 -0500

The Executive Committee (EXCO) was established in 1951 as part of the organizational restructuring of ALPA, with the first meeting occurring in 1953. The Committee worked with the president in a consultation role and was designed to execute policies made by the Board of Directors (BOD) and Executive Board (EXBD) as well as recommend policy to both bodies. In addition the Committee also determined the organizational structure of the home office, ratified staff members, and was a trustee for ALPA business and funds as well as scheduling BOD and EXBD meetings. The Committee consisted of President, Secretary, Treasurer and Regional Vice Presidents (later Executive Vice Presidents).
The Committee covered Association issues such as: Budget, Negotiations, Contracts and Mergers, Membership and Staff, Insurance and Retirement, Engineering and Air Safety, Public Relations, and Affiliations. In 1992 the Committee was abolished and replaced by the Executive Council. The records of the Executive Committee covers the period of 1953-1992 and include Agendas, Minutes, Transcripts, Reports and Correspondence.

ALPA Governing Bodies: Executive Council

srafferty — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:53:31 -0500

In 1992, the ALPA Executive Council was created by the Board of Directors to replace the Executive Committee. The Executive Council helps advance the policies and objectives established by the Board of Directors and Executive Board. It has the authority to interpret the association’s constitution and by-laws and policy. The council mainly covers financial, accounting, organizational and administrative matters. The Executive Council Records include meeting minutes, agendas, budgets, and background information on subjects covered during the years 1992-2009.

ALPA Herndon EAL Strike Center Records

srafferty — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 14:31:51 -0400

The Herndon EAL Strike Center Records document the 265 day strike on Eastern Airlines (EAL) from March 4, 1989 - November 23, 1989. During this period 3400 of 4200 EAL pilots went out on sympathy strike along with the flight attendants represented by the Transportation Workers Union (TWU), both of whom voted to honor the International Association of Machinists (IAM) strike of Eastern Airlines. The Herndon EAL Strike Center Records focus on the records of EAL Council 142 located in Herndon, VA, but also include EAL wide communications. The records are made up mainly of the daily fax messages sent to each EAL strike center every day for strike coordinators, and pilots and their families. The updates included information on strike developments, negotiations, media coverage, and research to counter company information. They also provided information about benefits, family awareness blocks, and writings to keep morale up. In addition there is information on Operation Love Song, the IAM/ALPA/TWU travel agent program, MEC updates, and strike/picket information and procedures. Also included are pilot letters, writings, songs and poetry, and cartoons created during the strike.

ALPA Steward and Stewardess Division Records

srafferty — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:39:41 -0400

The Steward and Stewardess Division was created by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Board of Directors in 1960 after ALPA and the Air Line Stewards and Stewardess Association (ALSSA) separated in 1959. Following the same basic structure as ALPA, the division had its own Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Executive Board, and national officers of Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Initially consisting of 20 airlines and around 3,580 stewardesses, by 1969 the S&S Division represented approximately 10,000 stewardesses through Local Executive, and Master Executive Councils on each of their airlines and assisted them with negotiations, grievances, sex and age discrimination, air safety and equal employment issues. In 1973 the stewardesses signed a charter of affiliation with ALPA and formed the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA). The Steward and Stewardess Division Records contains Office Records, Correspondence, Governing Bodies Minutes, MEC/LEC Records, Publications, Negotiations, Agreements, and Constitutions and By-laws. The subjects covered include: Air Safety, Crew Complements, Organizing, Uniforms, Contract Negotiations, Seniority, Negotiations, Bidding, Scheduling, Sex Discrimination, Marriage Rules, Age Discrimination, Maternity Leave, ALSSA/ALPA Dispute, Strikes, Age 32/35 Policies, and Women’s Rights.

ALPA Miami EAL MEC Records

srafferty — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 17:34:15 -0500

Parts 1 and 2 of the EAL MEC Records spans 30 years but focuses mainly on the last decade of Eastern Air Line's operations. Major subjects include mergers, air safety and bankruptcy litigation.

ALPA Miami Joint Council Office Records

srafferty — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:19:42 -0400

The ALPA Miami Joint Council Office (JCO) was a regional office for ALPA Region II and councils in the Southeast United States. It was home to several Master Executive Councils (MEC) and Local Executive Councils (LEC) including: Braniff Airways MEC and Council 29, Delta Airlines Council 71, Eastern Airlines MEC and Council 18, National Airlines MEC and Councils 8 and 73, Pan American Airways (PAA) Council 10, Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra, PNG) MEC and Councils 38 and 83, and Riddle Airlines (RID) MEC and Councils 114 and 134. The Region II Vice President also worked out of the office and kept his files there. The JCO records cover the years 1935 to 1968 and span a number of technological and service changes within the airline industry. The records are made up of MEC and LEC minutes and correspondence, A-Z files, correspondence, reports and studies, contracts, negotiations, aircraft evaluations, and air safety and accident investigations. Subjects include: Behncke recall, Third crew member/Crew complement controversies, American Airlines secession from ALPA, National Airlines Strike 1948, Southern Airlines Strike 1960-62, Pilot physical controversies, “Take-A-Look” policy, Flight Engineers International Association (FEIA) issues, and Air traffic controller controversies.

ALPA Photographs

bbealmear — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 15:44:41 -0400

ALPA Photographs is a collection of photographic prints and negatives produced and compiled over decades. The materials came to the Reuther from what is currently known as the Communications Department; previous names of the department include Publicity and Public Relations, and ALPA Publications. The images collected appeared in the union’s publications, including the Air Line Pilot, and in conjunction with various public relations tools, such as news releases. The prints and negatives document various events, individuals, subjects, and organizations related to ALPA. The collection is strong in images of ALPA officers, pilots, and flight attendants.

ALPA Publications

srafferty — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 13:47:50 -0500

The ALPA Publications is a collection of pamphlets, newsletters, magazines,
bulletins, manuals, constitutions and by-laws, arbitration transcripts, and research reports
produced by, or involving ALPA from 1933-2006. ALPA’s main publication, Air Line
Pilot, is still in print and so not included here, but both ALPA national, and individual
Master Executive Councils (MEC) also produced a wide variety of publications during
the past 80 years which are included in this collection.

ALPA Publications: Air Line Pilot

bbealmear — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 09:43:16 -0400

Air Line Pilot is ALPA's main publication and has been in continuous print since April 1932. The first volumes were published twice a month, and came in newspaper form, running about 4 pages each. ALPA soon began to produce Air Line Pilot monthly and steadily increased the page count, eventually publishing in the present magazine form in 1949. Air Line Pilot covers a variety of topics relevant to pilots such as news in the airline industry, ALPA structure and Association news, technical innovations and information, medical studies, contracts and organizing, and stories on airlines and individual pilots. Subjects include 85 Hour Rule, Age 60, ALPA Organizing, Air Mail, Ariel Hijacking, B Scale, Crew Complement, Deregulation, Eastern Airlines Strike, Northwest Airlines Strike, Southern Airways Strike, Steward and Stewardess Division, Terrorism, Trans World Airlines Strike, Wien Airlines Strike, and Wind Shear. The collection contains the complete run of issues from 1932-present. It also includes a bound volume from 1931 of various letters, organizational information, and other publications issued by first president David Behncke to keep ALPA members updated before production of Air Line Pilot commenced.

ALPA Secretary's Office Records

bbealmear — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 15:01:18 -0400

This collection contains the files of First Vice President Alex C. Bonner and Secretary John P. Giberson, as maintained by the Secretary's Office. The majority of the records are related to air safety. Many of the files concern ALPA’s anti-hijacking program, T-Plus.