Montana labor news., 1934-02-22
PEON WAGE SCALE ON.
PROPOSED "COPPER" CODE
Al Cents Per Hour Rate for Miners in
Northwest; IS Cents in Eastern
District; 40 HOur-Week and 8-Hour
Day Is Recommended.

The formulators of the proposed
Copper code no doubt thought they
were writing a code for South Amer
lean or South African miners is the
impression received when one reads
the proposed minimum wage scale,
which will no doubt be made a maxi
mum as has been done in every other
industry. The scale proposed for the
northwest district, which includes
Butte, is Al cents per hour for under
ground labor and 30 cents for surface
labor. If this were to be the scale
for South American or South African
miners one could shout for joy and
urge the adoption of the code but to
accept such a scale for American min
ers is an insult to the men who work
underground, daily risking their lives
and health for the benefit of coupon
clippers. The proposed scale is far
lower than the wage for COMMON la
Dor in Butte and 19c an hour below
the CWA and PWA scale for common
labor. Furthermore there is no clas-
~sification of Labor, either for surface
or underground work, in the proposed
code. This code throws the way open
for the cutting in half of all wages
in certain skilled lines of work, if
done underground.
The proposed code also calls for a
forty-hour week, which would make
the weekly scale of miners $16.40 per
week or 1928 per day which is far
below the present starvation scale
paid in Butte at the present time. A
forty hour week will not benefit the
unemployed in Butte for Butte miners
are not averaging those hours even
at the present time. Miners had hoped
for a 30-hour week in order that UNI
employment might be in some way al
leviated in Butte and other mining
camps in the Northwest.
The killer of miners, the contract
system, is allowable in the proposed
code. This system is not only a killer
of men, but a weapon Of the employ
ers to exploit the men in the mines,
making the most from their labor
with the least amount of compensa-
ton. 1t is one of the most vicious
practices of the mining industry and
if accepted by the code authorities,
even under the name Of piece-work,
confidence in that body is shaken. The
abolition of that system was one Of
the major demands Of the Interna-
tional Union of Mine, Mill and Shelter
Workers, and if code authorities accept
the inclusion of the system it will
bear evidence to the fact that the rep
r~esentatives of labor have not been
given due consideration.
Workers now receiving wages above
the minimum in the proposed code
are not guaranteed that their present
scale will be maintained. The code al
lows employers to adjust the wages
Of workers receiving above the mini
mum, within sixty days after the code
is approved by the government.
Neither are they assured that more
than their present hourly rate will be
given them when compensation for a
shortened work-week is made.
The only points gained by labor in
the proposed code are the abolition of
labor of children under IS years of
age, underground; the abolition Of the
company store and company house;
and the right of workers to organize
into unions Of their own choosing.
If the proposed code is the best the
industry can do after all these months
of pickering and fiddling it would
be better for the industry to do with
out a code and let the employees get
all they can organize and fight for.
Mine Workers should vigorously pro-
test the adoption of this code unless
the sections dealing with wage and
hours Of labor are radically changed.
Office workers in the mining company
should join with the miners for under
the proposed scale they will receive
$500 a week for a 40-hour week as
a minimum. The office workers are
more helpless in making a protest for
they are unorganized. The Miners
fight is their fight and all should
unite in making protest.
Said Mayor La Guardia: 81 am very