Montana labor news., 1935-01-17
Facts On
The Billings
Sugar Strike
Workers Say The Public Is En-
titled To The Unvarnished
Truth.

ATllEi.
In the Billings Gazette of Saturday,
December 22nd, the Great Western
Sugar Company ran a half page sd
making specific and unwarranted char
ges against striking sugar factory
workers and appealing to the public
for IAN aroused community opinion"
to quickly make available the protec-
ton of the law in the safeguarding,
maintenance and operation of the
plant"
COMPANY CHARGE: Unbridled
lawlessness prevails today within yell
lowstone County"
THE TRUTH: Striking employees
have maintained peaceful picketing as
permitted by Montana Supreme Court
decision Lindsay & Company Ltd. VS..
Montana Federation of Labor, 81 Mon
tana 264.
COMPANY CHARGE: "The largest
manufacturing establishment in south
ern Montana has been idle"
THE TRUTH: Four hundred and
twenty-five workmen have also been
idle. Thus far about fifty per cent of
these have been obliged to humiliate
themselves by applying for public re-
lief.
COMPANY CHARGE: Entrance
to the grounds of all employees, manag-
ing officials included, has been denied
md fba rc,7Darvr ;e ror, ,c4,,,ft,, -
vented from maintaining, in working
order, fire prevention machinery and
other equipment for preservation of the
property"
THE TRUTH: The company has a
year around force OF approximately
sixty skilled workers who are not in
volved in the strike. No order has
been issued or action taken to deny
these men access to the plant. Many
of them have not cared to enter and
have either remained away or after
coming to the picket line and talking
things over have turned back.
COMPANY CHARGE: "A small
group OF men have taken to them
selves by force the power to complete
ly annul the right Of property, and thru
a form of picketing beyond all pre-
cedent have assumed almost complete
control of the property"
THE TRUTH: Since the strike no
employee or striker has set foot on
the property utilized by the company
for plant and feed yard purposes.
COMPANY CHARGE: THE Billings
factory has fully complied with every
provision of the labor code for the
beet sugar industry and in fact has
maintained rates of pay in many in
stances higher than required by the
code"
THE TRUTH; The labor code,
written by the sugar industry, pro-
vides a minimum Of 32Hc per hour
for common labor or $500 per month
of 80 day employment eight hours per
day. The Company refused to COM
ply with the unemployment provision
of the President Of the United States
requiring 40c per hour minimum pay
and 40 hour per week, but has paid a
code minimum of 32Hc per hour and
then classified a great number of semi
skilled and skilled workman as COM
mon labor. Other semi-skilled work
men received IS to 37H cents per hour.
COMPANY CHARGE: "In Novem-
Der the Company paid over $60,000,00O
in wages to its employees, an average
of $1,000 per month for each work.
er and with a minimum of $500 to
the lowest paid unskilled factory en-
ployee who worked the full month"
THE TRUTH IAN average of $102
per month for each worker" includes
the salary of the manager, superinten-
dent, three assistant superintendent,
master mechanic, three assistant mast
er mechanics, many foreman and tech
nical men all OF whom receive salaries
running from $4,000 per month up to
100000 per year.
COMPANY CHARGE: "A recent
decision of the National Recovery Ad-
ministration deciding the exact mean
ing Of the provision of the code re-
garding the pay Of hourly employees
whose average work week throughout
the year was reduced by the code,
required slight upward adjustments in
the rates OF pay Of only eight men in
the entire force and these were promp-
tly made in full.
THE TRUTH: The labor code pro-
vides 1.-THE company shall pay $500.
not less than 32Hc per hour" no other
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