Montana labor news., 1935-11-14
UNIONS PROTEST
WAGE REDUCTIONS
Valley County Forming Plans and
Organizations to Protect Wag-
es and Conditions.

GLASGOW.-The following resolu-
ton was adopted by a mass meeting Of
workers on the Fort Peck Dam Project,
held under the auspices OF the Council
at Lakeview today. The opening
speech and the presentation Of the
resolution were made by the Rev. Ha-
ven P. Perkins, a member Of the Min
isters' Union, as official representative
OF the Council. A committee of sew
enteen was elected to present a pro-
test against the wage cuts to Major
Larkin. w. w. Ward, organizer Of the
Truck Drivers Union, and Mr.. Per
kins were elected co-chairmen Of the
committee. The committee will report
to a second mass meeting to be held
next Sunday at / p. m. at the Spot
Hall, Lakeview. At this meeting ap-
plications for a membership in a fed
eral union for the unorganized will be
taken. The initiation fee will be low.
The following resolution was adopted
unanimously at a mass meeting held
under the auspices of the Valley
County Trades and Labor Council, at
filiated with the American Federation
of Labor at Lakeview, Montana on
Sunday, November 10:
WHEREAS, the present national
administration was elected on promises
to help the forgotten man and give him
a New Deal by raising wages and in
creasing purchasing power,
AND WHEREAS, the wages OF all
c%lassifications OF workers on Fort Peck
Dam project were already too low,
and the wages of laborers were so low
as to give them a bare living, without
the comforts and c%onveniences which
an American has a right to expect,
AND WHEREAS, by recent drastic
cuts in hours our incomes have been
reduced below the level at which we
can exist at all, and have endangered
the trade of those from whom we buy
goods, thereby inevitably reducing their
orders from factories and farms, and
ultimately throwing some men out Of
work in distant parts of these United
States, but especially here in Montana
where we spend our money,
BE 1T RESOLVED, by this assem-
bly, Of project workers, democratically
organized with officers Of their own
choosing, that the administration
should raise the hourly wages Of its
employees and bring pressure to bear
on the contractors to restore men who
have been laid off, to avoid layoffs in
the future, and to maintain weekly
wage scales as a first step towards the
fullfillment of campaign promises.
AND BE 1T FURTHER RE-
SOLVED, that a committee be elected
by this assembly to present to Major
Larkin these resolutions and our griev-
ances, and that this committee shall re-
port back to us at a meeting to be held
here next Sunday, the seventeenth Of
November at | p. M,
AND BE 1T FURTHER RE-
SOLVED, that the secretary send
copies of this resolution to the Presi-
dent, the Secretary of War, the Ad-
ministrator of PWA, the Administrator
of WPA, the Secretary Of Labor, the
two Senator'S from Montana, the Gov
ernor Of the State, the Representative
from this Congressional District, the
New York Times, the Montana Labor
News, the Great Falls Tribune, the
Fort Peck Independent, the Glasgow
Courier, the Glasgow Times, the Glas-
gov Daily News and any others which
the aforementioned committee may
suggest and that this committe be
empowered to take all measures which
it deems necessary for presenting our
grievances to the public, for inform
ing the public of our solidarity in re-
sisting this attack on our standard Of
living, and demonstrating to the public
that our welfare is its welfare.
RECORDING SECRETARY.