The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, February 19, 1941, Page 2

2 THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 19, 1941. Statement of Facts and An Juneau, Alaska In July, 1936, the farmers of our community, after much thought and deliberation organized the Juneau Dairies, Inc., for the pur- pose of providing the City of Juneau with the best milk and by-products producible under the most sanifary conditions, at the lowest cost tothe consumer. This was accomplished by the erection of a modern dairy plant equipped with the latest known machinery. We believe that today Juneau has a dairy plant sanitary in every way bringing to the market a product superior to any in the Ter- ritory of Alaska and at a cost far less than any other community of Alaska enjoys. It has been hard work on the part of the owners of Juneau Dairies, Inc., to-accomplish this and the rewards have been small, at least from a profit viewpoint. Continually rising operating costs and a falling market have made it very difficult to operate. After four and one-half years operation the plant shows a surplus of less than $3,000.00 which represents the total net earnings for that period. : 1940 has been an extremely poor year for the plant with an operating loss of over $2,500.00. Today our drivers have walked out on us because the company is unable to meet their demands for higher wages. These drivers are members of the Transport Workers Union, Ldcal 172, and'are no doubt governed by the actions of that Union. The plant has met the various demands made by the Union in the past by increasing the pay of its drivers from $125.00 per month in 1936 o $160.00 per month in 1939 with less working time. We are today paying our drivers $160.00 per month with four days off each month and we are willing fo continue paying this amount with every Sunday off. The new demands of the Union are that we pay the drivers $175.00 per month with Sundays off and in addmon thereto give each driver iwo weeks vacation with pay each year. This would mean an added operating cost of $1070.00 per year which the plant under present condifions is unable to meet. Apparently our drivers have not considered thatin addition to their pay check of $160.00 per month the owners of Juneau Dairies are also paying $1.60 fo their credit with the Federal Insurance contribution fund and $4.80 with the Territorial and Federal Unemploy- ment Fund, making really a total earning of our drivers of $166.40. Because the earnings of the Juneau Dairies, Inc., are msufi1c1eni to met the new demands of the local union, we are now branded as being Unfair to Organized Labor. 'We have failed after several meetings with the union officials fo make them understand our position. "There is only one way to meet the demaunds of this Union and that is to raise the price of milk and ils by-producis. This will have to be done unless You the People of Juneau can succeed in convincing the Union that One Hundred Sixty-Six Dol- lars and Forty Cenis Per Month Is a Fair Wage for a Milk Driver. ' JUNEAU DAIRIES, Inc. GEORGE DANNER, President