Montana labor news., 1937-10-14
What's Happening
in The Unions


A number of visitors were in at
tendance at the Trades and Labor
Council Tuesday, including Librar-
ian Philip Keeney of the University
of Montana, around whom a battle
is waging over academic freedom in
the higher institutions of learning;
Bruce Steinmetz of the Cascade
Trades and Labor Assembly; Mr..
Dolson and Mr.. Obstarzyk of the
Bakers Union of Great Falls. Sixty
delegates were present. It was one
of the largest meetings of the cen
trail council since the end of the cool
days last spring. It is natural that
the attendance should fall off during
the summer time, but they are COM
ing back in full force now.
The Miners Union, through its
president, James Leary, paid a high
tribute to the Trades and Labor
Council for the assistance rendered
by the Grievance Committee in eff
fecting an organization Of Mine, Mill
and Smelter Workers at the Domes-
tic Manganese Plant on South Mon
tana Street. This subject was men
toned in last weeks Montana Labor
News. In that article reference was
made to the attitude of some of the
eastern stockholders of the company
toward labor policies in this commu-
nifty. With the assistance of the
Trades and Labor Council the Min
ers Union was able to organize the
men at the manganese plant and the
contract that has been drawn is very
satisfactory.
.
Several letters were read by Sec
rotary Kennedy. Some of them re-
lated to the complaint Of the women
in sewing rooms working under the
Works Progress Administration An
explanation of the difficulties at
tendant upon the State Administra-
ton was given by Mr.. Fowler. In
this communication, Mr.. Fowler
suggested a joint meeting between
the administrative officers of the
WPA, the Trades and Labor Council,
and the Workers Alliance. In all
probability such a meeting will be
held in the near future. The whole
controversy centers around the in
crease in hours required of the
women on the WPA projects. They
were working Y hours, now they
are working SO hours. It is not a
local situation but covers the entire
state of Montana. The unions in
Great Falls and other industrial
cities are just as much enraged over
it as the Butte unions. 1t was
learned quite authoritatively that
the State Administration Of the WPA
is recommending a statewide 30
hour schedule for women.
Ed Duncan, a member of the Edu-
cation Committee and who is taking
a prominent part in devising an ade-
quate program of education under
the Smith Hughes vocational act,
submitted a tentative plan to the
Council, the original plan Of which
was submitted to the Board of
School Trustees. The plan provides
for diesel engineering, welding, ma
chine shop practice, plan reading and
a course for policemen and firemen.
These two latter subjects being spon-
sored by the city. Mr.. Duncan re-
ported that the School Board had
taken the program under advise
ment for the next couple of weeks.
A letter was received from the
Board of Railroad Commissioners
notifying the unions that a public
hearing is to be held here relating
to potato growers and the price of
potatoes. The notice was published
last week in the Montana Labor
News. The hearing is set for Octo-
Der is.
The Cascade unions requested Sill
yer Bow County to adopt a resolu-
ton placing all goods manufactured
in Japan and sold on the American
market on the unfair list. The
Council approved of the spirit of the
resolution, but inasmuch as the Sill
nar Rnur Tradnc and I-nhnr Cn1,nni1