The Wrangell sentinel., 1939-12-01
LETTERS

me HlILN#AnE E0HlAAAhAEAA ZION
and copy OF the Alaska Native
Brotherhood bargaining agency
resolution has been received by
The Sentinel from Louis f. Paul
Grand President of the ANB. in
connection with the eommuui-
cation printed in this neWspa-
per last week from Frank John
son, Past President oil the ors=
ganization. Views expressed in
such communications are not
necessarily the views of The
Sentinel but are published as
matter OF general interest.
Nrangell. Alaska
NoY. %. 1899
Editor Nraugeu Sentinel
Dear Sir.
Herewith place our order for twenty
cipies of the Sentinel dated Nov. p,
1893. 1 am sure that the attack
upon the organization and prinei-
pies of the Alaska Native Brother
hood by the union through its new
ly appointed organizer Frank G..
Johnson, past grand president of the
ANB. will be OF interest TO cur sew
eral Camps.
Herewith hand you copy of the
Bargaining Agency Resolution No. /
adopted ON motion made by the wri-
ter. seconded by Natkong, Hyda-
burg, and carried By "a vote Of SO 10
IL. Roll call was demanded and the
record stands as published.
Very truly yours
LOUIS T. PAUL.
President Grand Camp Alaska Ma
tive Brotherhood
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
AGENCY
Resolution
L However much labor groups
would like to combine all Of Alaska
or even the smaller areas OF south
eastern Alaska into one district, the
districts are SO far apart, in some
cases amounting to several hundred
miles, and the means Of communiea-
ton so difficult, and the conditions
surrounding the canning plants and
the people thereof so varied, and
the open seasons so different that
experience has shown US that dis
trict organizing is not the best plan
Tor labor.
.. Due to the fact that the great
er political skill IN labor politics
is centered in Ketchikan, Alaska,
and also due to the fact that this
area is the last to open. the pressure
for settling conditions of labor does
not become strong there until long
after the pressure has become acute
in the more northern districts such
as Yakutat, Lynn Canal, Icy Straits,
Chatham Straits and the Sitka dis
trict, with the result that the bar
gaining officers of certain labor
unions have neglected to give timely
attention to the above named dis
triets SO that in 1899, these areas
are forced to bargain locally by
plants.
g.. In the interest of so-calIed
harmony, this organization refused
to enter the field of labor problems
in the years 1886 and 1897 hoping
that labor unions already establish
ed would work out a plan satisfac-
tory TO our labor group and without
harm to this organization, and at
first there seemed to be every pros
peet of cooperation. This prospect
was destroyed by three factors, Ia
our membership could not afford to
pay both the union dues of $12 per
annum and our dues of Sc so that
by the device of calling our people
"seabs" and also the check-off sys-
tenn, the union collected its dues
while our paid-up membership drop
ped to less than 210 active members
in all; (b) a number of the younger
and better educated Indians who for
some unknown reason have held out
against this organization although
pretending to sympathize with its
aims, joined the labor unions and
began an active campaign to dis
organize this body; (c) the leaders
of the labor unions did not have the
ability to organize and manage an
area in which each village and can
merry plant differed in conditions
and circumstances and yet each de-
handing that its problem be settled
forthwith.
a. The foregoing facts in 1899
compelled certain districts (Sitka
Yakutat, Haines, Klukwan, Hoonah,
Tenakee and Hood Bay to take the
duty of bargaining with their res
pective canneries into their own