Montana labor news., 1935-04-11
President Describes
Optimistic Outlook
Continued from Page y

Continued IRON rage -
the organization. For this reason Arr
IONA may witness a strike in the near
future. In Jackson, California, the
Central Eureka Gold Mining Company
has signed an agreement with the union
for one year. They have recognized
the union and the question Of wages
and hours are to be submitted TO ar
bitration.
Should Boycott General Motors
Company.
The Kennedy Argonaut and the AM
ador Mines refused to recognize the
union and at this time are employing
scabs to operate the mines. The maxi
mum pay at these properties is $3.50 a
day. The president of the Argonaut
Mining Company is also general pun
sci for the General Motors Company.
This company has been au%tocratic and
vicious in their attitude toward the
union. Mr.. Brown stated 81 feel that
as the Argonaut Company will not deal
with organized labor that labor should
retaliate by boycotting the products OF
the General Motors Company.
Iron Ore District.
According to President Brown, there
is considerable unrest throughout the
iron ore mining territory. There is no
code in effect for this phase Of the
mining industry. These iron mines are
located in Alabama, Wisconsin, Mich
igan, and Minnesota. In Alabama the
watchmen are paid as low as 80 cents
an hour. There have been instances
Of men having been fired through their
activity in connection with the union.
Hearings Before Board.
The international Union has held
hearings before the Regional Labor
Board at Duluth. AS a result of these
hearings the Republic Iron & Steel
Company have been ordered to put
men back to work who had been dis
charged. international Executive
Board Member Truax represented the
unions in these hearings, His home is
at Westville, Illinois. The Company re-
fused to appear at the hearings before
the Board and the decision was rem
dered by default.
The Tri-state operators have not
complied with the Presidents Re-em-
ployment Agreement, which ordered q
reduction of So hours to 40 hours, ant
from seven days to five days a week
These companies did not increase the
hourly wage rate, and many of the
companies have not paid the wages or
dered in the Presidents Re-employ-
ment Agreement. The Union has pre-
pared numerous suits to be presented
to the Regional Compliance Board o.
the three states. Attorney George
Lang & Son is representing the unior
in this matter, assisted by Board Mem.
Der Roy Wisdom.
Conditions in Pennsylvania.
The Langloth local in Pe%nnsylvani;
has entered into an agreement with thu
American Metals Company for another
year. President Brown stated that tn,
international Union OF Mine, Mill 8
Smelter Workers has grown from thu
membership Of $500 in 1882 to $1,000
at the present time. There are owe
one hundred locals now in the Union
The Union is further strengthened b,
the organization of about twenty-five
Ladies' Auxiliaries. These Ladie:
Auxiliary Unions are becoming a yer,
important factor in the organization, in
as much as they do most of the buy
ing, it is essential that the women b
trained in demanding the union labt
on goods, and this is one of the pur
poses of getting the women into tn
Miners Union. The officers of the In
%ternational Union Of the Mine, Mi
and Smelter Workers are Tom Brow
President; George R. Coles. Vic
President; both of Butte; James Rot
inson, Secretary Treasurer. Member
of the Executive Board are Dan Oh
Itch, Butte; F. L. White, l. L. Trua:
Westville, Illinois; Roy Wisdor
Pitcher, Oklahoma. The general offiC
Of the Union is at Salt Lake City.
Virginia City to Organize.
Mr.. Brown left for Virginia Gil
Wednesday morning to form a loo
union OF the miners working in TIL
vicinity. One Of the interesting r.
marks made by the President of II
Miners Union is hat Utah is now pa,
ing a higher wage scale than Butte ar
that miners in Arizona are also recei'
ing more than the miners OF Butte. I'll
Utah miners are receiving the be
wages for any time since 1929. TT
wages paid in Grass Valley, Califo
MIA, are also higher than those paid
the miners of Butte.