most serious and goes further than the dislocation of our economic system and the disruption of mails and travel patterns. I think that our defense posture is impaired." Cong. Rec. 15382.

Mr. Bartlett: "It is the public interest that is being most seriously flouted. *** The result: countless individual frustrations and hardships, severe economic deprivations, and an over-all economic endangering of the national health and safety. And yet the strike goes on. It must go on no longer. *** It is sometimes unclear, Mr. President, what constitutes the 'public good'. Surely it is anything but unclear in this case. Airline service must be resumed." Cong. Rec. 15385-86.

Mr. Byrd: "Meanwhile, non-struck airlines, busses and trains are overloaded, thus jeopardizing the safety of and greatly inconveniencing the traveling public and the economy of the Nation is being disrupted. The American people, who, through their own tax dollars, have supported and subsidized the airlines industry, have a right to protection against a strike which vitally affects the comfort and safety of everyone and which is destructive to the commerce and industry of the Nation." Cong. Rec. 15407.

Mr. Morse: "A question of fact is raised as to whether or not the strike has reached a state of national emergency. It is the opinion of the senior Senator from Oregon that it has." Cong. Rec. 14868.

Mr. Allott: “It is not that it is a mere inconvenience to the Senator from Hawaii or to his State, or to the Senator from Colorado or his State, or to the Senator from Ohio or his State, or to the Senator from Florida or his State. It is that it paralyzes our whole transit system. *** As a matter of fact, there is not a state that is served by the struck airlines that is not suffering from the strike. The only point I wish to make is that with the complex economy in which we are involved, strikes in so many areas are bound to destroy and disrupt a great portion of our economy. *** When we think in terms of the need to bolster our economy, the strike is costing possibly hundreds of millions of dollars to the people involved." Cong. Rec. 14887.

Only a small portion of the comments which were introduced into the Congressional Record is listed above. In addition to comments by Senators and Representatives, numerous editorials discussing the airlines dispute were reproduced. Finally, many Senators and Representatives recorded the sentiments of their constituents, including local government officials, businessmen and the affected public by publishing telegrams in which the constituency expressed personally the impact upon it.

APPENDIX

Attached are the route maps of the five airlines parties to the current airlines dispute, including Eastern, National, Northwest, Trans World, and United. These maps indicate the routes and cities which are not being served by the five carriers as a result of the strike. (See maps on pp. 56-59.)

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Prouty?

Senator PROUTY. Mr. Curtin, am I correct in understanding that the carriers involved in this dispute agreed to accept the recommendations of the Emergency Board?

Mr. CURTIN. Yes, you are, Senator.

Senator PROUTY. Could you give the committee an indication, percentagewise, what the increase would be, including the actual wages and fringe benefits?

Mr. CURTIN. The five carriers have estimated the cost of the Emergency Board's recommendations as approximately $76 million over a 42-month period. On the basis of a guidelines percentage, and what we understand the Council of Economic Advisers uses as a base, namely, wages and fringe costs; except those legally required, such as social security payments, we estimate an average annual increase of 3.6 per cent to be the cost of the Board's recommendations.

Senator PROUTY. That includes the fringe benefits?