Montana labor news. [volume], December 01, 1932, Image 1

About Montana labor news. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 19??-1951

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
Published By the Silver Bow Trades and Labor Council—Weekly—In the Interests
Hetn ANA
or
Montana Labor News
t
The American standard of
living must be maintained
in order that American in
stitutions may not be sub
ject to perils of discontent.
There can be no prosperity
without justly high wages.
Earnings of working people
are the basis and index of
progress in any community.
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE MONTANA STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR
«fa M
fJc al
BUTTE, MONTANA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1932.
Vol. VIII.
No. 39
BUTTE CLERKS WINNING WAGE-CUT CONFLICT
THERE IS NO
SANTA CLAUS
A. C. M. Co. Given Credit
for Undeserved Humani
tarianism; Uses Govern
ment Relief Funds to
Break Labor in Butte.
The people of Butte have been led
to believe that the Anaconda Copper
Mining Company has been playing
Santa Claus to the suffering of
Butte during the depression. Through
its subsidized press this corporation
has made the people of Butte believe
that at last it is interested in the
suffering of our citizenry. As a re
sult the people of Butte have felt
kindly toward this organization that
is interested in nothing but reducing
the workers of Butte to a state of
peonage. At last we have discovered
that there is no Santa Claus and
that this corporation is using govern
ment money to enslave the free-born
citizens of Butte.
Reports from Helena regarding the
distribution of the Reconstruction Fi
nance Corporation allotment to Mon
tana show that most of Butte's re
lief is coming through the govern
ment. Since September first Silver
Bow county has received, according
to these reports, $27,600 per month
for local relief. Add to this the con
tributions of merchants, workers, pro
fessional men, and Red Cross; sub
tract this sum from the total amount
spent for relief and you have the
amount contributed by the corpora
tions in Butte, which is negligible.
How is this fund being used? It
is being used solely to break down:
the working conditions of the work
ers of Silver Bow county. It is re
ported that men are sent out to
work from the relief on jobs at lower
wages than workers of Butte are
being paid. They are paid, not in
money, but in beans, flour, fat bacon
and other starchy and fatty foods.
If a man refuses to betray his fellow
worker by taking a lower wage rate
he is cut off the relief. The orders
for these foods are now being given
to stores that stand with the Em
ployers' Association in their fight
to lower wages and increase hours
among the clerks. When the boy
[Continued on Page Four]
SHORTER WORK WEEK AND WORK
DAY NECESSARY, SAYS COUNCIL
Not More Than 28 Hours
Per Week if Millions Are
to Have Jobs; Many Now
Work 60 and 60 Hours.
CINCINNATI, OHIO.—With over
120,000,000 people in the United
States requiring food, clothing, shel
ter, education, and the conveniences
and comforts of life, there is not
more than 28 hours of work per week
for our working men and women, in
cluding those with and without jobs.
This significant conclusion was
reached by the executive council of
the American Federation of Labor in
its report on "Our Outgrown Work
Week" to the Federation's annual
convention here.
"In May, 1932, the Labor Depart
[Continued
Page BV
■1
HOOVER POLICE ARMY TRIUMPHS
OVER CHILDREN OF UNEMPLOYED
150 Police Battle Woman
and Six Children ; Hoover
Escapes Ordeal of Receiv
ing Petition for Relief.
WASHINGTON—(F.P,)—President
Hoover escaped the ordeal of receiv
ing a petition for hunger relief at
the hands of a delegation of work
ers' children, at the White House on
Thanksgiving day.
An army, consisting not of tank
corps, cavalry and gas-masked in
fantry, as on July 28 last when his
troops burned the B. E. F. encamp
ments, but of 160 bluecoated police
men, saved him.
Prom early morning this defense
army of coppers was on the alert,
secreted in the basements and lobbies
(Continued on I'ngu Four]
TO INVESTIGATE
USE OF R. F. C.
FUNDS IN BUTTE
SENATOR WHEELER TO LOOK
INTO MATTER OF CORPORA
TION USING RELIEF FUNDS
TO FEED STRIKEBREAKERS.
The following telegrams tell of a
deplorable condition existing in Butte
at the present time. They also give
some indication of the drastic inves
tigation that will soon be made.
Nov. 28. 1932.
U. S. Senator B. K. Wheeler,
Washington, D. C.
Silver Bow Trades and Labor
Council requests you to investi
gate the legality of Butte Relief
Association using funds received
from government, through Recon
struction Finance Corporation to
feed and provide people who are
working as strikebreakers. Would
appreciate answer at your earliest
convenience.
Chas. Malloy, President,
Silver Bow Trades
and 'Labor Council.
Washington, Nov. 29, 1932.
Charles Malloy, President,
Silver Bow Trades and Labor
Council, Butte, Mont.
Will lake matter up immediately.
B. K. Wheeler.
J. W. Anderson, Sec'y.
y J A\^Jl
ASK.ED
AT A. F. L MEET
| L E G A L
AND
MANUFACTURE
SALE OF 2.75 BEER WOULD
MAKE WORK FOR MANY.
CINCINNATI, OHIO.—The imme
diate amendment of the Volstead Act
so as to permit the manufacture
and sale of beer containing 2.75 per
cent alcohol by weight was demand
ed by the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor in the
Page F(
■i
[Continued
Timely and Untimely
-Observations
By ADAM COAI.DTttGRU_
Snipe-shots of History.
If I were called upon to write the
political history of the last decade
in as few words as possible, I'd say:
Andy Mellon and Calvin Coolidge
took Herbert Hoover snipe-hunting
and let him hold the bag.
Say, what are we going to do
with folks who voted for a change,
got the change, and are still without
change ?
Pocket History of American
Agriculture
First quarter; Farm owners rob
soil.
Page Two)
[Continued
The Washington
-Scene
By LAWRENCE TODD
WASHINGTON—(F.P.)—B u r i e d
miles deep beneath the heaviest vote
of condemnation ever cast by the
American electorate, the Hoover ad
ministration had no mourners in the
national capital on Nov. 9 except
the handful of its partisan depend
ents.
There was full-hearted re
joicing among the civil servants
whose wages had been cut, among
the relatives of war veterans who
held bitter memories of the use of
gas and sabre and torch against the
B. E. F, last July, and among thou
sands of citizens whose sense of fair
dealing had been outraged by the
[Continued on Fuge Three]
Butte Labor Unions Find
Employers' Association a
Stumbling Block in Path
of Friendly Relationship.
A large mass meeting of all unions
affiliated with the American Fed
eration of Labor was held in Car
penters hall last Saturday night.
Never before was sucl. unanimity
shown among the unions. Every
delegate present showed that as far
as he and his organization were con
cerned there would be nothing but
unanimity in fighting the proposed
wage slashes that would reduce Butte
Labor to a lower level than slavery.
"We are merely having an exist
tencc now and a further slash would
mean starvation. We might as well
die fighting"; "We either die together
fighting, or die together starving as
slaves"; "Our backs are to the wall,
we must stand or fall together,"
were a few of the remarks that
showed the attitude of Butte Labor
toward accepting the starvation
wages offered them by the various
groups of the Employers' Association.
This spirit shows that there is more
co-operation in the labor movement
today than there was two years ago
when an effort was made to destroy
the working conditions bought by the
very life's blood of the pioneers of
the labor movement in Silver Bow
county. The desperation of the men
and women present was merely a
symbol of the desperation of work
ers the country over. Fighting for
freedom, even though it means the i
supreme sacrifice, is preferable to
submission like the ox of the field i
before the whip of the heartless mas
ter. This meeting showed that Butte
Labor still has the spirit of the pio
neers of the movement.
REFUSE TO DEAL WITH
EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATIONS.
Due to the fact that the Employ
ers' Associations are merely instru
ments for the open shop plan and
(Continued on Page F(
.
Sam Gompers Cigar
Made in Two Sizes
Excellent Combination of Tobaccos
in Both Five and Ten-Cent Sizes.
Definite progress is being made
toward providing manufacturers in
the Cigarmakers Co-operative Asso
ciation with material for a 10-cent
It is intended that this cigar
cigar.
will contain quality Havana filler
with a Connecticut binder and a Su
This combination
matra wrapper,
assures the smoker of a cigar that is
identical with the successful 10-cent
cigars of New England and far su
perior to most advertised, non-union
cigars at the same price. The Asso
ciation is assured that the material
can be furnished at a price that will
make its manufacture possible in any
part of the country. A beautiful de
sign, the picture of the Gompers
memorial statue, was agreed upon
for the 10-cent cigar, and just as
soon as the lithograph company
makes delivery and cellophane can
be secured their 10-cent brand will
be ready to go into production.
Vice-Pres. Is Welcomed
But Welcomers Get
Gypped
DENVER— (F. P.)—Vice-President
Charles Curtis got a great welcome
on his recent trip to Denver, with a
parade and banners and everything,
and a good turnout. Then the men
who had carried the banners in the
parade went to the state labor com
missioner to complain that they had
been promised $3 apiece if they
would take part in the parade and
they had been given a 36-cent meal.
They demanded that the state take
action to force the Republican state
committee to pay their wages for
their enthusiasm.
"This office has no power to col
lect wages or to compel the keeping
of political promises," they were
told. "There are many garages with
no automobiles and pots with no
chickens, but there's nothing we can
do about it."
Montana
Hardware
Open Shop
I
The Montana Hardware
opened its doors Thursday
morning under the open
shop plan.
None of the union clerks
has returned to work, and
are standing by the action
of the union taken last Mon
day night.
The Following Stores
Have Signed Contracts
With the Clerks and De
serve Your Patronage:
Keene Shoe Co.
Al's Photo Shop.
Chicago Shoe Co.
Clem's Bootery.
T. C. Truscott.
Bed Boot Shoe Co.
Flörsheim Shoe Co.
Hubert Shoe Co.
Tom ich Grocery Co.
Post Office News Stand.
Kelly-Alton.
Walk-Over Shoe Co.
Morsello.
Butte Furniture Exchange.
Beckman Bros.
Finberg Furniture Co.
Bake-Rite Bakery.
Gleason Candy Co.
Harrington Cash Grocery.
Waldorf Market.
T. J. Bennetts & Co.
South Side Hardware.
Sheehan's Apparel Store.
Meaderville Merc. Co.
Western Auto Supply.
Mc. L. Y.
Federal Bakery.
Montana Street Grocery
Matt Christie, W. Granite St.
S. & S. Jewelry.
Eclipse Grocery Co.
Aldine Market
Range Market.
Park Clothing.
LOOK FOR WINDOW CARD.
Workingmen, Streetcar
Men in Joint Session
Discuss Drastic Wage Reductions;
Employers Ignored Unions.
The executive committee of the
Street Car Men's Union and the
committee of the Workingmen's union
held a joint meeting at 11 a. m.
Tuesday, Nov. 29, at which a general
discussion took place as to the rela
tions of the two unions in the at
tempted reduction of pay of mem
bers of the Workingmen's Union. The
sympathy of the unions and of the
public is with the members of the
Workingmen's Union. The proposed
reduction of pay is too drastic, espe
cially in view of the fact that these
men are allowed to work only three
days a week. Another feature of
this phase of the labor situation is
that the employers instead of noti
fying the union that the men were
to be reduced, ignored the union and
told the men individually at their
places of work that the reduction
was in effect. This attempted re
pudiation of the recognition of the
union in negotiating wage matters
and working conditions, which has
prevailed for years, takes away the
principle of collective bargaining
from the men and puts them entirely
at the mercy of arbitrary and high
ly organized employing interests.
LESS WAGES, LESS WORK.
BOSTON—(F.P.)—The value of
proposed building in Massachusetts
in October was down 57.3 per cent
from October, 1931. Boston car
penters took a big wage cut this
spring on the promise it would in
crease work. It didn't.
EFFORTS MADE TO REDUCE WAGES
AND INCREASE WORKING HOURS;
MOVE IS MADE BY CHAIN STORES
Pledged Support of Silver Bow Employers' Association
and Corporate Backing is Seen in Present Move.
BUTTE CLERKS REFUSE TO BE MADE SLAVES
On Monday night a meeting of the Butte Clerks' Union
was held in the high school auditorium to discuss the
proposal of the Silver Bow Employers' Association to
reduce wages 20 per cent and increase the hours of
labor. The Employers' Association made this demand
after the secretary of that body admitted that such re
ductions would not increase employment in Butte and
would merely make mattere worse and prolong the de
pression, according to reports of those on the committee
that met with the association.
The clerks voted 100 per cent to refuse the cut.
MOVE TO PROTECT
WOMEN EMPLOYES.
The move of the Clerks' Union
was made to protect, primarily, the
standards of women working in
Butte stores. This group is the
lowest paid in Butte. A reduction at
this time would work untold suffer
ing, for many of these women are
the sole support of their families at
the present time. This move would
be the first to bring their wages
down to the level of wages of women
in chain stores in other sections of
the country, which means seven to
ten dollars per week. No community
that believes in decency wants to see
the wages of women cut to such a
low level, and Butte, in spite of its
reputation, still believes in decency
and decent standards of living.
THE THIRTY-DAY CONTRACT.
Much has been made of the fact, in
the daily press, that the Employers'
Association was willing to sign a 30
day contract with the Clerks' Union.
Why a 30-day contract? The most
feeble-minded person has intelligence
enough to see through this offer.
Within 30 days the Christmas busi
ness would be over. The stores are
depending on this business for much
of their profit. If they can keep
the clerks pacified until they have
made their profit, from the season
commemorating the birth of Him
who hated exploitation, they could
do as they pleased with the wages
of the clerks with little loss to them
selves. The clerks failed to see why
they should sign a 30-day contract
for the first time in over 35 years.
They consequently refused to accept
such a contract.
CLERKS TAKE FIRM STAND.
The clerks voted, without a dissent
ing voice, not to return to stores
unfair to their union (i. e. stores not
having a contract with the union).
It was also voted, without a dissent
ing voice, to charge all members of
the union who violated this ruling a
re-instatement fee of $100 plus $10
for every day they violated the
union's ruling. It was also voted
that no store would be recognized
who employed clerks who had not
paid the re-instatement fee. It was
also voted to deal only with individ
ual merchants and not with the Em
ployers' Association.
TO REAL WITH INDIVIDUAL
MERCHANTS ONLY.
The refusal of the clerks to deal
with the Employers' Association was
made after a consideration of the
history of the union in Butte. For
25 years the clerks had dealt only
with individual merchants and dur
ing that time the clerks had never
had any dificulties with the employ
ers. During the ten years of dealing
with the Employers' Association the
Butte Clerks' Union has had three
strikes and lock-outs. This is due
to the fact that the Employers' Asso
ciation does not want to be fair to
the employes but has only one idea
in mind—that of breaking up the
unions. For that reason they hired,
as one of their officials, one who
had a state-wide reputation of being
a "Union Buster." The clerks want
to be fair to their employers and
the employers as a whole, want to
be fair to their employes; but the
Employers' Association, dominated
by the controlling economic force in
Montana, discards fairness in favor
of exploitation and dooms the em
ployer and employe to a condition of
(Continued ou Fuge Four]
j
COUNCIL NOTES
Last Tuesday night saw the larg
est attendance at a meeting of the
Council in the past two years. There
was a 100 per cent attendance and
many visitors from the Building
Trades attended. The walls were
lined two rows deep with chairs and
every chair was filled. The same
spirit was shown that was shown
at the special meeting held last
Saturday night. At last there is
solidarity in the Butte labor move
ment.
The present high-handed methods
of the Employers' Association were
discussed and the unions were unani
mous in their protest. Various dele
gates reported on the actions of their
unions and these reports showed a
unanimity in the ranks of the lo
cals.
The Clerks reported that they were
on the road to victory in their strug
gle against starvation conditions.
Sam Mitchell thanked the unions and
the Butte public for their co-opera
tion. Sentiment has been with the
Clerks and it has been due to the
sympathetic co-operation of the buy
ing public and fellow workers that
such rapid progress has been made.
When the meeting adjourned there
was a feeling on the part of all
present that Butte will never be a
slave compound but a city where
workers can enjoy a decent Ameri
can standard of living.
RESOLUTION ON THE DEATH OF
BARNETT M. LINDSAY.
To the Officers and Members of
Butte Stationary Engineers
Union No. 83;
Whereas; It has pleased the Su
preme Being to take from our midst
our late Brother Barnett M. Lindsay,
and
Whereas; His family loses a faith
ful and loving husband and father,
and
Whereas; In the passing of Brother
Barnett M. Lindsay the Engineers
Union No. 83 loses a loyal and faith
ful member, and the organized labor
movement a conscientious worker,
loyal friend and supporter; now
therefore be it
Resolved, That the Engineers Union
No. 83 extend to the bereaved fam
ily in this, their hour of bereave
ment, and be it further
Resolved, That our minutes show
an acknowledgement of his services
to the labor movement for the last
35 years, spent amongst us in Butte,
both as a private citzen and as a
public servant, and be it further
Resolved, That our charter be
draped in mourning for a period of
30 days and that we stand in silence
for one minute and out of respect
for the memory of our departed
Brother, and be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this reso
lution he spread on the minutes of
this Union, a copy be sent to the
family of our deceased Brother, and
a copy be given the Montana Labor
News for publication.
Respectfully submitted,
H. A. WEIDENBACH,
JAMES COMBO,
JOHN McMULLEN.
Pupils over 21 years of age will
week to attend
have to pay $1
school at Lakewood, Ohio, according
to a ruling of the school board.