Montana labor news., 1937-11-18
PROGRESS
ADMINISTRATION
SEEKS INCREASE
IN STATES QUOTA
Women in Sewing Rooms to Get
Full Security Earnings in No
Vember.

I
Owing to the seriousness of the
situation created by the Anaconda
Copper Mining Company throwing
men out of work, a joint committee
of the Silver Bow Trades and Labor
Council and the Butte Miners Union
called upon Joseph Parker, Mon
tana's administrator of Works Prog
ress Administration, Tuesday, and
spread before him the suffering
which will ensue the families of
this community unless some means
are taken Immediately to render as
sistance and give succor to these vic
TINS of the craze for profit. Mr..
Parker showed figures in his posses
sion which indicated that the shut
down of the mines of Butte had af-
fected other industrial centers in
Montana, namely, Anaconda, Great
Falls, Kalispell, Missoula, in fact
nearly every community in which
the Anaconda Copper Mining Com
pany operates, Anaconda seems to
be the worst hit outside of Silver
Bow County. Over 1000 men will
be affected throughout the state.
1t was brought out at the meeting
that while the Anaconda Company
was making a gesture for sympathy
or trying to be a good fellow in its
determination to exclude all former
employees from consideration who
had received cards after the first of
the year 1897, it shouldn't be over
looked that the company when ask
ing an employee to work, the mine
is rarely interested in where he
comes from, or how long he has
been here, the prime consideration
being how much rock can be pro-
duced in a definite period of time.
In the final analysis and this vas
conclusively proved during the last
depression, the corporations of the
United States r not very patriotic
to their own community nor to the
nation when that patriotism comes
in conflict with profits.
Mr.. Parker is asking for a quota
for the state Of Montana of $4,000.
This means the Works Progress Ad-
%ministration is asking that 1900
people in the state of Montana be
permitted to go to work for the
United States government and it's
agencies. When asked what the ex-
tent of the quota was during the
depth of the depression in 1888, Mr..
Combo replied that it was 21,00O.
The quota prior to the shut down
of the mines was 1000, 1000 of
these included the farmers and rural
people from the drought area. Some
of the eastern counties having been
made severely destitute from the
lack of moisture last summer. Not
withstanding the decision Of the com
pany extending its first considera-
ton to the local people, there will
be many Of, the local men caught
in the whirlpool of unemployment
due to the enormous turnover in
employment of the Anaconda Com
pany in any given month. Prior to
the recent layoffs, the company
hired and rehired from 1000 to 1900
men a month. That is the ordinary
turnover of the Anaconda Company
so it was reported by one of the
committee. All the miners and en-
ployees Of the company are sitting
tight, they are not quitting now,
Hence several hundred Of the local
men will be caught on the outside
that have either quit their jobs or
who were temporarily unemployed
and seeking to be hired. Many mis-
cellaneous workers will also find
that there is no place now for them
to work because the mines have full
crews of this type of work,
At this joint meeting, a committee
t of women representing the Workers
Alliance were present and urged Mr.
Parker to make it possible for them
to receive their security earnings
pay before the Thanksgiving holi-
4 day.
Recently the women in the sewing
rooms were put on a 5-hour a day
basis. Under this arrangement il
wasn't possible for them to secure
their pay checks until some time ir
t December. Through an arrange
e ment suggested by Mr.. Cavanaugf
of the finance department of the
Works Progress Administration anc
: with the assistance Of Mr.. Burris
Mr.. Parker, and Mr.. Combo, a plar
: was adopted to permit the womer
e to work on an 8-hour basis for the
rest of the month. Under thi.
S scheme, they Will be able to secure
|, their checks as heretofore for the
e month of November.
A meeting of the representative
r of the unions and the County Com.
Y missioners representing the County
Welfare Board will be held Thurs
day at the County Commissioners
! office to try and secure additional
assistance from the state of Montan;
and the county of Silver Bow t