 In 1985 a card signing campaign by strike breaking pilots (strikebreaker) gave CEO Frank Lorenzo an excuse for stating that the airline was withdrawing its voluntary recognition of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) as the bargaining representative for the Continental pilots.The rationale for this action was based on the belief that since in the 1930s the airline, in the face of an overwhelming number of cards requesting that a representational election be held, agreed to recognize ALPA as the bargaining agent for the pilots without a representational election, that they could withdraw that recognition at any time.The strike breaking pilots (strikebreaker) of Continental Airlines maintained that after that time they were no longer represented by ALPA, however, ALPA maintained and the National Mediation Board (NMB) confirmed that ALPA continued to represent all Continental pilots despite the airline's pronouncement to the contrary.