Montana labor news., 1936-09-24
ROOSEVELT, MURRAY, ANGSTMAN, CASEY ENDORSED
WARNING TO TRUCK
OWNERS OF MONTANA

1
state are willing to get together
with the Transfers Union in the
state of Montana and draw up
agreements which will allow the
truck driver an American standard
of living and reasonable hours Of
labor, the Transfers unions in this
state will ask organized labor for
its support in forcing those compa-
MES on a fair competitive basis.
At the present time there are
many truck drivers who work as
long as 80 hours without any rest.
Those drivers r not safe and are
a detriment to the public On the
highways. After a thorough in
vestigation of hours worked by
truck drivers in different parts of
the state we have discovered where
truck drivers have worked from 16
to 80 hours only stopping for meals.
A truck came in here from Laurel,
Montana, which takes IL hours.
Many times that driver is here 3
hours delivering goods and imme-
diately starts back, the run back
taking him on an average of from
7 to 8 hours, making his trip about
90 hours continuous driving. There
has been two serious accidents in
the past few months in this state,
caused by trucks and the conditions
existing as far as trucks are con-
cerned on the state highways are
fast becoming a menace to the peo-
pie of the state.
The Transfers unions are highly
in favor of and want to see the
trucking industry grow as it makes
more work for their members, but
rather than have men working long
hours and receiving barely enough
wages to live on, they would pre-
fer to see the trucks put off the
roads and the hauling go back to
the railroad companies who pay
their men good wages and work
regular hours. The time is fast
approaching in the state of Mon
tana where the truck drivers are
getting in the same position that
the old freight drivers were rs
years ago. There is many a num-
Der of "over the road" truck driv-
ers that do not need a room, all
they need is a lantern, because
because they r on the road prac-
tically "a hours a day. The only
sleep that they receive is maybe an
hour or two on their trip when they
become so tired it is impossible for
them to drive any longer.
At the convention of the Montana
Federation Of Labor a resolution
was brought in by the different
truck drivers unions, which limits
the loads hauled on the state high
way. The truck owners of this
state should get together and work
their drivers regular hours instead
of hiring men who will work for
any wages that they pay; they
should pay a high rate of wages SO
that the trucking company will be
able to get the highest class of
drivers to operate trucks, and men
who are absolutely reliable. We
know that this can not be done
while the companies are paying
low wages and working long hours.
Good men will not work under
such conditions.
We publish this resolution as a
warning to the truck owners of
this state that unless they get to-
gether with different truck drivers
unions of the state, that we have
been promised the support of the
United Mine Workers of America,
the Railroad men in this state and
also the Montana Federation Of La
Dor to pass this law in the coming
State Legislature.
Following is the resolution that
was passed by the State Federation
of Labor with instructions to the
Executive Board to have it enacted
into law at the next session:
Resolution No. 20
To the Officers and Delegates of
Continued to Page Six.)