Montana labor news., 1938-12-08

to restrictions placed upon the
metal trades.
Butte, Montana,
November Z, 1888.
Mr.. John w. Kelly,
Finlen Hotel, Butte.
Dear MFR. Kelly:
At our meeting on Nov. 5 it was
apparent that you were reluctant to
definitely advise us of some means
of solving our troublesome industrial
situation existing at present in Butte,
Anaconda and Great Falls.
Please let us give you a brief
resume of the matter affecting us,
and some additional facts not thor
oughly brought out at u meeting.
Previous to 1884, the different
craftsmen employed by the Ana
conda Copper Mining Co. in Butte,
Anaconda and Great Falls, negoti-
ated with the company regarding
wages and working conditions, di-
rectly by local representatives, elect
ed Or appointed by the individual
locals of the craft unions. A Central
Trades Council acted somewhat as
a clearing house for all the different
local unions, but each local union
negotiated directly with the company
officials regarding wages and con-
ditions affecting the craft which the
local represented. Before an agree
ment with the company was con-
sumated it was submitted to the
internationals involved for approval.
In other words, previous to 1884,
the Internationals representing the
employees of the company in the
three cities mentioned, had each its
own autonomy and identity, and
each could negotiate directly with
the company for changes in working
conditions and wages affecting its
membership.
In 1884 we arrived at an entirely
different era. John P. Frey flew
here in an airship from Washington,
D. c., with a prepared agreement
between the Metal and Building
Trades departments of the A. F. of
L. and the Anaconda Copper Mining
Company. In this agreement the
Internationals whose members were
employed by the company, were not
in any way mentioned.
1t seemed that the international
officials had in some manner, and
for reasons unknown to the rank
and file, relinquished to the Metal
and Building Trades departments of
the A. F. of L. or to Mr.. Frey per-
sonally, the exclusive right to
negotiate working agreements affect
ing their membership. To this end
the constitution of the international
Brotherhood OF Electrical Workers
was posthumously revised in May
6, 1895. Section IL of Article 4 was
included to authorize such a sell-out,
The revision of the constitution is,
as you must know, a very small
matter because it can be done by
the international executive council
without reference to the member
ship of the organization. On the
other hand, the membership cannot
revise or amend the constitution
without such revision or amendment
meeting with the approval of the
executive council.
At this time when MI. Frey pre-
sented the agreement for the en-
ployees of the company, it was de-
cided, by him, that the majority Of
the 80 locals in the three cities, and
not the majority of the membership
would approve or disapprove the
agreement. Accordingly, a Local
with a very few members working
for the company, had the same vot-
ing power as a local with two OF
three hundred members, which was
a very unfair and unjust method Of
determining the matter. At this
time the bricklayers had one MAI
working for the company in Butte
and his voting power nullified thai
of approximately 100 electrical work
ers, a majority of whom voted
against the acceptance of such 9
damnable agreement.
In 1885 the company submitted
three proposals to its employees
One of these was for a 25-cent in
crease in wages per day, dependent
on the price of copper for 30 days
and would continue for n year. A
second proposal contained an in.
crease of SO cents per day dependent
on another price for copper anc
would continue for two years. The
third proposal was to refuse both
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