Montana labor news., 1933-04-27
Missoula County Central
Trades and Labor
Council News :
WORKERS! STAY AWAY FROM M|SSOULA

Recent developments in and around Missoula impel lis
to make this appeal to workers in other parts of Mon
Itana and elsewhere to stay away from this territory as
long as the present state of unemployment prevails.
Jobs have been very scarce for the past several months
and unemployment has not been relieved to any mark
ed degree with the return of good weather.
Although some publicity has been given to the fact
that but a limited number of forestry relief workers will
be recruited from Montana at the alleged new scale of
$l.O0 per day, and those few will be selected from those
registered with the County relief agencies, nevertheless
hundreds of workers with packs on their backs are trail
ing in every day in a forlorn hope of finding employ
ment.
There is a natural tendency for Missoula as a city to
be populated beyond the amount of jobs available. In
the first place the climatic conditions are such that it
is a desirable place to live. The University naturally
attracts many families to locate here on account of the
school facilities. Many of the students need p~art-time
work and have in the last year been favored to a great
extent to the loss of residents of the town. The sugar
factory requires many hands for a short period during
its seasonal run and leaves a surplus of cheap labor for
the balance OF the year. This being a railway division
point, there are hundreds of families who formerly had
good incomes but which the past couple of years have
been reduced to almost nothing.
The county poor fund and other relief agencies have
been burdened to the limit the past year. To make
things still worse, agencies supported in good faith for
the purpose of relieving distress caused by unemployment
have been used to further force workers into lower
standards Of subsistence.
Men have been placed in positions for a few days work
IH6 agency Oh Un6 Federated Social Service and
have been remunerated with a mere pittance for their
days work. This in some cases by employers who are
amply able to pay a living wage but who seemingly
seize upon the unfortunate plight such workers are in
to get their services for less than what is required to live
in decency.
Surveys undertaken by relief organizations and by the
newly formed Peoples Exchange have revealed that
there are upwards of 1000 families in MissOula without
any earnings whatsoever. Several hundred more fam
have but very little part-time work. 1t matters not
lnuch now careful such people may have been in the
past, when unemployment overtakes them for several
months in succession, they are soon reduced to the same
level with those less careful in their management. To
make things particularly disgusting is that, in fact, those
who have been saving and careful in their ways and
denied themselves and their loved ones the neces-
of life in order to keep from going deeper info
debt, are denied the privilege Of working whatsoever in
order to give preference to those in worse financial cir
cumstances.
The local gas plant of the Northwest States Utilities
20. are IN the act OF replacing their gas mains in the
streets and alleys of Missoula. Enjoying, as thew are,
the patronage of the residents of Missoula, it would be
reasonable to expect that they would do nothing less
Than to pay the common labor wage established for such
work by the local labor union. A committee from the
Central Council has waited upon the local management
Of this concern in the hopes that such arrangement could
De made. We have been informed that this request has
denied and in place thereof the workers are being
selected from among those who are registered with the
Social Service at a very much reduced wage
scale below that established for such work in Missoula
It is particularly d~istasteful to think that the very
agency which purposedly was established to relieve dis
reSS IN our community is being used to furnish recruits
or those who engage in such wage cutting tactics.
1t becomes necessary for the Central Council TO voice
IS disapproval of this arrangement and to use all the
)oWer at its command to safeguard the welfare of resi-
workers.
We are asking the cooperation of our fellow workers
n other localities by steering clear of Missoula.
and annoyance to the union de- DOCUU,D