Montana labor news., 1933-04-06
KEEP OUR MONEY AT HOME

KEEP OUR MONEY AT HOME
From the number of mimeographed, autographed and
produced out-of-town ~handbils, stationery and printed
matter of all kinds that have been gathered and brought
to headquarters of Butte Typographical Union, it be-
comes increasingly evident that some sort of action is
needed to bring this matter to the attention Of the bust
ness men of this community.
For the same reason that the Mining City merchants.
register a strenuous protest against citizens OF Butte
sending the money earned here out of town for their
goods, Butte Typographical Union presents the same ar
gument against merchants who have their printing done
out of town, or use the m%ultigraph or mimeograph to pro-
duce imitation or "moonshine" printing.
The dollar earned in this city belongs here. 1t makes
no difference whether that dollar is spent for furniture,
clothing, foodstuffs, hardware, printing, or the various
other commodities necessary to the commercial life of
the community. The citizen or merchant who sends away
for the products necessary to run his home or conduct his
business is committing economic suicide, slow, to be sure,
but none the less sure economic suicide, which may be
lkened to an individual who desires to leave this num-
dane sphere, opening one of the small arteries and slow
ly bleeding to death.
The person concerned may say: Il can get my print
ing cheaper by sending away for it." Along that line,
the average citizen can make a snappy comeback and
proclaim: Il can get my merchandise cheaper by send
ing away for it."
All legitimate printing offices in Butte carry the union
label. The union printers label is a wonderful thing.
1t represents unmeasured sacrifice on the part of those
who work in printing offices whose managers possess the
business acumen to insist upon union conditions. The
label, and particularly the union printers label, has been
in the vanguard of every major movement to better work.
ing conditions, shorten the hours of labor, establish homes
for the sick and aged, ~lengthen the average age of work
es, old age pensions, mortuary benefits, and not the
least of the achievements credited to the printers union
is amlcable relations between employer and emplOye,
placing this relationship on more of a humanitarian basis
and less on the principle of master and slave.
The money now being sent out of town for scab print
ing Gin most cases), and the money used to produce the
imitation or ''moonshine' printing, if diverted to its right
full channels, will accomplish, among other things, the
following results:
First, keep the money (~lifeblood of the community
in Butte, with the attendant good results of increasing
the circulation of the medium of exchange in the Min
ing City.
Second, provide employment for just about all the I'M
employed printers in this city, thereby relieving the eco
nomic drain on those now employed.
(The printers of Butte have applied for less commun-
ity chest relief than any other class of citizens, organ
lied or unorganized, due to efforts put forth by Butte
onion to relieve distress.)
Third, it will help insure to each member of the organ
ization an old age pension ($8 a week., an opportunity
to enter the beautiful Home at Colorado Springs in case
of sickness or disability, and a mortuary benefit of $500
to help defray expenses at death.
The International Typographical Union was among
the first organizations to establish a tuberculosis sanitar-
ium, which has now developed into a beautiful Home
located at Colorado Springs, Colo. Through the influ-
ence of the union, sanitary conditions have been immeas-
urably improved, the average life of the worker has been
increased; in fact, the benefits accrued to the worker
through the Typographical Union are so numerous that
it would take much more space than we have at our dis
pOsal to enumerate them.
We, the members of Butte Typographical, insist on our
right to earn a living in this community. We do not
want charity, but simply ask that the printing necessary
to the Mining City be produced in the shops of Butte,
where you can be assured of better work at prices that .
will compare f~avOrably with the "scab" or "moonsnine"
printing with which the town seems to have been flooded.
The life of trade, RECIPROCITY" can be applied to
community jewellers the sam as between nations. Let's
have it in Butte.
AN UNUSUAL EMPLOYER