Montana labor news., 1938-09-29
president J. GRAHAM
DELIVERS ADDRESS TO
BUTTE ORGANIZATIONS

ttAAO
Urges Methods to Employ
More Montana Men on High
way Construction.
In an interesting and enlightening
talk before the delegates of the
Silver Bow Trades and Labor Coun-
Gil last Tuesday, President James
Graham of the Montana Federation
of Labor condemned the methods
employed under the Public Works
Administration in the erection of
public buildings. He cited the
trouble with the contractor in the
erection of the federal building at
Glasgow, Montana. He said that a
contractor from Kansas City was in
charge of the job and that this man
had imported many men from out
side of the state. The president also
referred to the erection of the high
school building at Helena, which was
virtually destroyed during the earth
quakes in that city. The president
vehemently condemned the alleged
practices of the contractors for not
living up to specifications entered
into with the government and the
local authorities. In all instances,
according to Mr.. Graham, that he
had investigated, relating to the con-
struction of public buildings let to
contractors under the Public Works
Administration over which there
had been charges of noncompliance
with regulations, the federal agen-
cies at Washington had whitewashed
the contractor. Agencies involved
in these whitewashings, according to
the president, included the Bureau
of Public Roads, the Department of
Labor, and a Treasury Department
at Washington. He recommended
that unless the practice of absolving
the contractors from guilt was
changed by the federal agencies that
those responsible for it should be
displaced by other officials.
Launching into a discussion Of the
trouble at st. Regis, Montana, owe
the construction of a bridge, Presi-
dent Graham stated that the I'm
employment Compensation Commits
sion ordered the opening of an en-
ployment office in Superior for the
purpose of assisting the contractor
to secure men easier to break the
strike, that the employment office
at Superior was made a district Of
flee independent of the Missoula
office. Graham stated further that
the Missoula employment office,
which had jurisdiction over the st.
Regis bridge job before the opening
Of the Superior employment office,
had refused to give the contractor a
list of the names of those registered,
for employment, but the employ
ment office at Superior did furnish
a list of names to the contractor so
that he could solicit scabs from the
registered workers. Continuing,
President Graham stated that union
men in Missoula informed him that
the field supervisor for the employ
ment office had talked to them in
favor of letting the contractor go
ahead with the work regardless of
the union controversy; in other
words, allow the job to be an open
shop one. Graham stated that the
action of the unemployment COM
~pensation commissioners and the
field supervisor of the employment
service was not only unfair to or
ganized labor but was in violation
of the spirit of the Wagner-Peyse
Act, which forbids the employment
service taking part in labor disputes.
In reference to the Holly Sugar
controversy, the chief of the unions
in the state of Montana stated that
he hoped that a contract would soon
be effected whereby any more build
ings erected by the sugar interests
in Montana would be done under the
auspices and regulations of the vari-
Gus building trades councils,
Mr.. Graham warned the unions
that In an examination of the candi
dates for the State Senate and
House of Representatives it appeared
to him that quite a number of pro-
gressives had been nominated for
the upper house but unfortunately
such condition did not exist for can
didates of the lower house. 1t would
appear at this moment, according to
Mr.. Graham, that the lower house
would be dominated by reactionary
members.
Organization work throughout the
state is growing apace and recently
a bartenders' union was created at
Sidney, which would include both
the workers at Sidney and Glendive.