Letter to a congressional colleague regarding Continental Airlines and the Employee Stock Ownership Plan

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A letter to a congressional colleague from U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin advocating for the Employee Stock Ownership Plan endorsed by the employees of Continental Airlines. In his letter, Congressman AuCoin asked for the signatures of his colleagues in a letter that would be sent to the Civil Aeronautics Board. He described the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) as "a significant milestone in the renewal of American Business" and "an important experiment in capitalism that should be given a chance to succeed." Talks of enacting ESOP occured admist a battle between the managements of Continental Airlines and Texas Air Corporation, who wished to acquire Continental Airlines and thus put an end to the employees' ownership plan. Attached to the end of Congressman AuCoin's letter is the draft version of the letter from the House Task Force on Industrial Innovation and Productivity to the Civil Aeronautics Board. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).