PALMER ALASKA. #_____CARL RASMUSSEN, EDITORT
Published ever^ Friday at Falmer,Alaska, by the Matanuska Valley
Farmers Cooperat?j|^ Association, for the purpose of giving news of the
Association’s, accomplishments, 1ocal problems and general news._
Subscription by Mall £1.75, YearlyBox 1,00, Single Co;.ytlU^.
LABOR POLICIES IN A COOPERATIVE.
The recent order from the War Manpower Comission ru3eing that all
mployees and employers must conform to the new stabilization plan, that
has been promulgated for the Territory of Alaska, that is; that all
employees must give valid reason for quitting a job and remain on the
job until the request has been granted and that he cannot be e\> loyod
elsewhere until the termination certificate has been issued arc! a now
availability certificate has been issued, and that the employ*r can not
terminate employment without conforming to the regulations also*and
this affects all industrys, essential or otherwise, must certainly affect
labor relations to a large extent and so it might be well to consider
its effect, especialy as it applies to our Co-op.
Employees of a Co-op.,in some respects, have different conditions to
work under, than the most oftheir fellow workers have, quite fr quently
a great many members of the Co-op's, feeling that they have a working
interest in their orginization also feel that they have a right to
supervise the policies of the Management, outside of and in addition to
their right to elect Directors, who are supposed to supervise the work
done and the policies that govern the Manager. When interference of this
kind becomes common, then it ususaly undermines the authority of the
Board and works considerable hardship on the Manager.
Co-op. employees must be loyal to the orginization, just the same as
its members, to make it a success, and this loyalty can only bo secured
by making the employees feel that they are important parts of the Co-op.
and that they too,arc building on orginization that will provide cmnlpy
ment over that part of their life, when they should be able to accurallata
funds for the reclining years of their life. Working conditions must be
Agreeable and a fair and profitable standard of renumerrtion allowed.
Underpaid, discontented employees arc ususaly more expensive in the long
"un, a fair policy providcing for seniority rights in promotions should
>e established and no employee should be arbitrarily discharged,because
some executive dosen't like the color of his eyebrows, if ho is cfflcent
and loyal to the orginization. When new members of the Eonrd of Director?
are elected, or a new manager is selected, no employee should u<: requi
red to give up his job to any one, if his services have been satisfactory
in the pastland his loyalty to the Co-op. is of doubtful valu-’ if hr
quits just because a new management takes over.
The Inst three years has educated our employers to a larger xtcnt,in
the successful management of labor, than in any much greater t rold of
our history. The old fashioned employer who tried to rule by force end
bluff, who showed fnvortism to his friends and who developed stooges and
stool nigeons to bolster up a overgrown ego are thouroughly discredited
since the the present war emergency slipped up on us. Labor also has had
■^overhaul some of their policies and find that the added respon: ability
requires more effort on their part than ever before. Modern conditions
are the result of a patriotic effort on the part of both labor and manage
ment to increase production and any one who fails to see its importance
is out of step with the rest of our country.