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ALLECIENY - MOHAWK LABOR CROTECTIVE For the second time in less thon a week a CAB heoring examiner sup~ ported a position long urged by ALPA and recommended sweeping changes in the lobor protective conditions tra< ditionally imposed in merger coses. (PILOT BULLETIN, November, poge 1). In his recommended decision opproving the Allegheny~Mohowk merger, Examiner Merritt Ruhlen re- jected the position of the carriers that the so-called “standard” provisions first imposed in the United-Copital merger case over a decade ago should be imposed again without change, Addressing himself directly to the changes in the provisions recommended by ALPA, Ruhlen wrote: "It is nee= essary to consider the suggested changes on their merits rather then to rely on a decision of 10 years ago made in a different economic climate upon a different factual basis." Ruhlen's recommended decision ‘endorsed the following changes in the stondord provisions urged by ALPA: PROVISIONS RECOMMENDED (1) A shifting of the burden of . proof under the United-Capital for- mula so thot a claiming employe would be required to do nothing more than show that a merger occurred and thet his condition of employment chonged adversely. Should the employer con- tend that the change was the result of some factor other than the merger, the burden would be on the employer to establish that contention through the production of evidence. (Under the United-Capitel formula, an employe must carry the virtually impossible burden of showing thot his change in employment was caused "solely" by the merger and no other cause.) (2) A change in the compensation for a displaced employe to include Gveroge compensation during the bose period plus “subsequent wage increases” for the duration of the protection per= fod. (United-Copital excluded all such increases.) : (3) A change iin the base period used for determining average compen= BOSTON PILOTS BRIEFED ON BENEFITS Pilot retirement and insurance benefits wos the subject of a presenta= tion by ALPA's Retirement and Insur= ance Department in early December, The purpose of the experimental pro= gram wos to present directly to pilots an onolysis of their benefits and op- tions in both the retirement and Insur= once areas, Eastern pilots’ benefits were cho~ sen for the anolysis and the presenta< tion wos made at Boston's Logan Airs port on Dec, 2-3 by ALPA Field Rep= resentative Rhoads Donovan ond Insur= once Analyst Stuart Holl, The program was a formal presens tation by both representatives with the help of visual aids that outlined the Eastern Pilots' Fixed (A) ond Variable ’ (8) Retirement Benefit Plans and the Group Insurance Program. Pilots were encouraged to ask questions and forms were provided for more detoiled prob- lems that could be answered through the Retirement and Insurance Depart~ ment at ALPA's Home Office in Wosh~ ington. The experimental presentation wos basically successful. One problem area, however, was the fack of suffie cient advance notice, which resulted ina smoll attendance. Both represen- tatives felt thot although ottendance was minimal, the information program proved worthwhile ond wes well re- ceived by the pilots who were able to attend. sation to the one-year period “imme= diately prior to (the employes) dis- plocement® rather than one year prior to the merger os under the United Capital provisions. (4) An extension of the protec- tive provisions'coverage to all em- ployes whose job status may be changed by o corrier’s rearranging of its work force in anticipation of a merger regardless of the date on which such @ rearrangement actually takes place. Examiner Ruhlen's decision Is now subject to review and amendment by the full CAB as well as final approval by President Nixon before it may toke effect. ALPA ottorneys hove filed briefs in both the Delta-Northeast ond ‘Allegheny-Mohoewk merger cases urging thot the specific differences of the alteration in labor protective pro= visions recommended by the two hear= ing examiners be rationalized in such a manner as fo preserve the most sub- stantial changes in the old and in- adequate United-Capital formula, PILOTS SHOULD SPECIFY PAYMENTS Inasmuch as the new dues and in= surance system hos billed both 1972 dyes and Insurance, when remitting your payment please ollocote your remittance to dues and/or insurance in the space provided on the remit= tance stub. Should such an allocation be omitted, your remittance will be alloceted by the computer. RUNWAY AT GREATER WILMINGTON AIRPORT REOPENED ALPA hos been notified as of Nov. 15, the East West (9-27) Runway at the Greater Wilmington (Del.) Airport wes reopened after complete strength- ening over its’ 7,000-foot length to 250,000 pounds moximum gross weight tandem wheel loading. 4 Second Class Postage Poid at Washington, D.C. PILOT BULLETIN AR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION 1329 E STREET, N. W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004 nn re cape tnt amen tN GARR Ae ag A en gy j DB Cooper-6182