The Wrangell sentinel., 1944-05-12
CONTROVERsARY ON BACK PAY FOR A. J.
 MINERS UNDER FIRE
! lsneclaI to The senIIneII

lSpecial to The sentinel
 JUNEAU -4 The Alaska Juneau mine. for years the chief payroll in Juneau, has refused to pay back pay. to members or the Juneau Mine and Mill Workers union No. 203, according to report of mine work CTS.
 When representatives Of the min CTS union recently interviewed J. A. Williams. General Superintendent of the A. J. Mine, 10 ascertain when their back pay would be paid, they were informed that he had no iu-. structohs on the question. The back pay for most of the employees would have averaged between three and four hundred dollars for each man, il was explained.
 starting on September 16. 1943,. panel of Juneau men heard the case in which the miners asked for. an increase of 30 cents an hour. The local panel feeling that the miners had a just claim for better wages. and not wishing to impose any hardship on the company. re- commended a small increase of 10 cents an hour. The case was ap- realed to the Seattle Board of the War Labor Board. who approved of |i4 cents an hour, which was af- firmed by the National Board.
 As no definite word was obtained from Superintendent Williams the miners communicated with the War Labor Board in Seattle, which on April 12 wired F. R. Bradley, Pres ident Of the company as follows:
 Am informed Alaska Juneau Mine closed Twelfth Regional War Labor Board request you to inform it within IS hours regarding action taken by company in complying with directive of November 26, pro viding for retroactive pay Expect reply by or before Friday 14th."
 No reply was said to have been received, and on April 19 Dr. Geo. Noble, Chairman of the 18th Reg ional War Labor Board, sent an-0 other wire. asking for an answer. On April 20 the A J. company was said to have replied as follows 3 Alaska Juneau has been closed because of Inability to pay any back pay. Ii is not present ihten- tion of company to recognize val idity of Boards directive order ia any manner or in any respect"
 Arthur Walther. Secretary of the Miners Union. in commenting on the action of the company, said:
 As gold mining was not classi- fled as an essential industry, allI large quartz mining operation inI l Alaska ceased shortly after We en- tered the war to release men for defense work An exception was made with the Alaska Juneau mine, which through special per- mission of the government was al lowed to continue because Of the understanding they were to process chromite from the Kenai Peninsula. The miners were frozen on the job at pre-War. wages when they could easily have secured employment at much better pay on defense. pro jects in the Juneau area and other sections of Alaska. They remained with the company confidently ex- pecting an increase in pay retro active to May 1. 1943. when our present contract with the company expired When a committee nepre- senting the miners called on Super intendent Williams regarding raise in pay, he was indifferent a. bout discussing the matter with them, so the miners appealed to the War Labor Board for a hear i ing. The miners followed the pro- cedure outlined by the govern ment. They continued at their work and were willing to abide by the decision of the War Labor Board The miners feel that they are just ly entitled to the back pay. which ! with the wages paid them would be much less than they could have earned in defense work"
 MT. Walther stated that John Kennedy, for three years president ' of the Miners Union, had been chosen by the miners to represent them at a 'sho-. cause" hearing in Seattle on May H.
 
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