The Daily Alaska empire., 1948-05-07

 became the sole bargaining agent?
 Gustafson: I cannot say; was not here.
 Hendrickson: Can the company not use past practice as the grounds for what they are doing here, as they are doing it elsewhere?
 Gustafson In my opinion that is still something that must be ironed out between the company and the longshoremen. As long as it is water borne cargo it belongs to the long shoremen.
 Carter: That is not a continuous operation. They package load of ! lumber and load it. They are short of storage space. Gustafson I know that and they put it on the barge to save storage space. Could they not put one days work out and have it loaded the next day?
 Hendrickson: What if it is only hours loading? I understand that they have to guarantee at least two hours work.
 Newmarket: How many feet do 1 they handle per day?
 Gustafson: I am not in position to say. They had one barge tied up for two weeks and there were three men there all the time.
 Carter: You are not in that de- partment? Gustafson No.
 Carter: Did not the men who load package and sort?
 Gustafson: I don't know.
 Moore: It is packaged and then carried to the dock and then load ed.
 Gustafson: It is packaged first and then brought to it's last resting place on the dock.
 Carter: yoa know they are short of space?
 Gustafson: I do know that.
 Carter: And that this method is to save space? Gustafson: understand that very ! well; it saves them lot.
 Garter: They have not enough warehouse space?
 Gustafson: agree there; there is a limited space for operation. l can see why they do it, but why can't they work out an agreement with the longshoremen?
 Carter: They claim that not over 25q5 of a days run could be loaded on barge and that the rest has to be stored And when they have sufficient on the dock, it is loaded.
 Ninnis: Are the majority of the members in favor of loading?
 Gustafson: Not to load.
 Ninnis. That is well known fact?
 Gustafson The first night we voted there were only a few at tended. The management suggested we have another meeting and they let the night shift off to vote. There were POO members there solid and they voted against loading. We are not fighting the company and we are taking it on the chin. We can not even get Unemployment Compensation. I went to see MT. l Mclaughlin and he ruled against us. We appealed but the appeal l will go against it. He based his decision on precedent in cases in Washington which arose for the same reason: that they would not go through a picket line. Our boys will not go through picket line. If we do go through that will null lify our bargaining right. We will be two separate unions fighting for the same work.
 Ninnis: Doesn't the management understand this? Gustafson: Yes. The company said they would let us off to vote l but when the vote went against them they made us make up the time.
 Moore MT Gustafson, your jur- 1 isdiction extends to where?
 Gustafson: To the last place of rest of the finished product. Moore. Where do you understand that to be?
 Gustafson: If it is rough lumber and set on the side of the dock, it l is finished. 1 Ninnis: If they wanted to trans port it to warehouses, how would | you handle that? Gustafson: If they could prove 1t was for storage, I think we could | do it.
 Carter: But are those barges not used as storage?
 Gustafson: But these barges are moved They pull out of there.
 Moore: As soon as the barge moves it becomes interstate com merce?
 Carter: Is there any other ques- tion?
 1 Newmarker. No.
 Hendrickson: We want to clarify the barge status. Gustafson: We hate to give up any jurisdiction but it is their work.
 Ninnis: How is an election held? |