Montana labor news., 1936-01-23
TANNERY PLANT
TO M OPEN

The Leather Workers Union and the
Silver Bow Trades and Labor Council
have succeeded in retaining the Tam
merry in Butte. Last week a committee
from the Tannery Workers Union Wis
tied the State Emergency Relief Ad-
ministration at Helena and received as
surances that this industry will con
tinue operations.
For many months the struggle to pre-
vent the closing of the tannery factory
has been going on, and individual mem
bers OF labor organizations have been
placed at considerable expense in trans
portation, correspondence, committee
meetings and other forms OF expendl-
lures. However, the assurances just
received are very gratifying to the
unions and should be appreciated by
the merchants and other business ele-
ments of Silver Bow County. A word
OF appreciation is due Senator Murray
who has taken a very active part in as
sisting the unions.
The Leather Workers desire the
Montana Labor News to publish a reso-
luton which was presented to the
Trades and Labor Council on the 18th
The purpose OF publishing the resolu-
ton is to clarity and amplify the Ell
forts that have been made to retain the
tannery and also to indicate its impor-
lance economically to Silver Bow
County.
Butte, Mont, Jan. 18th, 1886.
Honorable James E. Murray,
Washington, D. {.
Dear Senator
We have just received official notice
that the Butte Tannery is to close
down indefinitely January 10th, next.
We beg OF you to use your utmost
power to prevent this. At present
there is a personel of about rs men en-
ployed there. This is a skeleton crew
The present payroll is about $lO,0OOW
per month. When the plant is running
at full capacity, 800 men are employed
Which in turn are Bread Winners for
about 1,500 Relief Recipients The
payroll then is between $35,000.N and
$50,0O0.00 per month. This means a
Life Saving Re-Habilitating Project
and by the way, the only Relief Project
that is on a Self-Liquidating Basis
In fact has been for ONE time. AS
things stand now, we have about $780,
10000 worth OF marketable leather ul
for sale, but the Montana Relief Com
mission informs US that they cannot
sell same.
Now something must be done and
done at once, to relieve this Gas we
call i) a foolish wasteful situation
Considering the great amount of money
that was spent as the initial investment
to manufacture hides into leather.
For your information, we further
state that we have the complete CO.
operation Of Organized Labor and
business behind us in our endeavoI
to place another industry here in Butte
AS you are fully aware (also the adj
ministration in Washington should be
that the mining industry here, our only
industry has proven through the en-
tire depression that it can not take care
of all unemployed people alone.
Again reminding you that we must
have action at nee to have this Tan
merry continue operations in some way.
shape or form.
We sincerely hope that Senator
Wheeler, Congressman Monaghan and
yourself realize that organized labor
expects you all, for all times, to do
everything in your power to aid or
gained labor and all the people OF
your community, who are worse of
now than they ever were.
Expecting an early and favorable
reply and thanking you very kindly for
your endeavors, we beg to remain
Very truly yours,
UNITED LEATHER WORKERS
INTERNATIONAL UNION,
LOCAL No. 70.
(Signed)
L. L. Davis, Chairman,
Louis Buettrue,
Peter Cunningham,
Ralph Ortez,
Herber Curtis,
Grievance Committee.