Montana labor news., 1936-12-24
Open FORUM
UNIONS FORMING
ALL OVER STATE
Glendive, Montana
December 10, 1886

NlOllldlld LdOOl 4NCW93
Butte, Mont.
Friend Clarence:
So that you will have less excuse
to administer the usual rebuke for
not keeping you posted on current
events during my absence from
Butte, 1 will give you a short resume
of what I've learned in my travels
during the past ten days.
In Havre, the Clerks have got bet
ter than 80 per cent of the retail
store employees in their organization,
and expect to have the town 100 per
cent organized in the near future.
They are about ready to present an
agreement to the merchants. Dur
ing the past summer, they also or
ganized the Truck Drivers and
Laundry Workers. The Cooks and
Walters Union, with the assistance
of the Trades and Labor Council, the
Railroad Brotherhoods and the
Farmers Unions of Hill County put
on a campaign in Havre this past
summer that resulted in a closed
shop for the Cooks and Walters. Or
gained Labor and Organized Farm
ers seem to be working in as close
harmony in Hill County as anywhere
in the state. They are showing very
tangible results on the political field
as well as on the economic field. l
am informed that they are sending
three progressive representatives to
the State Legislature.
In Glasgow they have made ex-
cellent progress also. During the
past summer the unions Of Glasgow
and Fort Peck put on a fight to get
closed shop conditions for the Cul-
mary Workers, and succeeded in
signing up every restaurant in Glas-
gov except small place, which,
I am informed, will either get on
the bandwagon or fold up very soon.
They also established the fact that
Glasgow has a population of more
than $500, which brings it within
the scope of the so-called 8-hour
store law. When l was there, I
made a check, and I'm satisfied that
the stores and restaurants are all
complying with the law. In Glas-
gov, this was all accomplished in
the face of determined opposition by
the local Chamber of Commerce.
In Wolf Point, Sidney and Glen
dive, conditions in the matter of law
compliance seems to have improved
considerably. The passage of the g.
hour amendment seems to have TAX
en- a lot of steam out of the opposi-
ton.
am enclosing a clipping, which
depicts a very unhappy condition in
Dawson county, and I suppose a
similar condition will soon exist in
nearly every other county in the
state. Valley County will probably
be the hardest hit in this respect,
because of the number of men that
is being laid off at the Fort Peck
Dam. At the peak of employment
at Fort Peck there were approx
mately 10000 men working during
this past summer. This number will
be reduced to about 1000, SO it is
reported. Some set the figure as low
as 1900 men to be retained on the
payrolls this winter. In any case,
several thousands of these men will
not be re-employed next spring, be-
cause the tunnels and spillways jobs
are nearing completion and the out
look for these men being absorbed
by private industry is not bright. 1t
looks as though a shorter work-day
and work-week is the only immedi-
ate solution. A Production for Use
program cannot be inaugurated soon
enough-even if it were possible to
do so.
Sincerely yours,
Edward O'Byrne.
The clipping Mr.. O'Byrne refers
to is as follows:
COUNTY BOARD FORCED
TO CURTAIL COUNTY RELIEF
A review of the county financial
situation made by the Board this
Continued to Page g.