Montana labor news., 1938-01-13
FIRST CONVENTION OF COMMITTEE
FOR INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION EVER
TO MEET IN STATE ESTABLISHES
CONSTITUTION, N0M|NATES OFFICERS
Coal Miners, Metal Miners,
Smeltermen, Agriculture and
Cannery Workers, Topographic
cal Union, Federal Workers of
America, Represented at Meet
ing.
10000 REPRESENTED

The state convention of the Com
mittee for Industrial Organization
held at the Miners Union hall at
Butte January 6 and 7 must certain
ly be regarded as one of the princi-
pal events of 1888.
The Committee for Industrial Or
ganization or c. I. o. as it is usually
termed, was formed after the re-
bellion of John L. Lewis and ten
international unions from the deci-
sion of the American Federation of
Labor convention in 1885. Lewis at
that time was an executive board
member of the American Federation
of Labor. He was a national officer
also of the United Mine Workers of
America, the coal miners. Lewis
and his followers desired that the
American Federation of Labor issue
industrial charters to the mass pro-
.duction industries. This proposition
had come before the American Fed
Grafton of Labor conventions occa-
sionally and had always been voted
down by the craft unions. Lewis
rebelled in 1885 after the convention
had again turned the proposal down.
In the year past the Committee for
Industrial Organization, in its or
ganization of steel workers and rub
Der workers and its terrific conflict
with the General Motors Corporation
and the United States Steel Corpora
ton, ,hieved national renown.
Today the c. I. o. surpasses the
American Federation of Labor in
number of affiliated members. Lewis
has been rather slow in establishing
State F%ederations of c. l. o. The
most important part of the meeting
in Butte was the adoption of a state
constitution and the laying of plans
for the establishment of a state Of
flee to be located presumably in
Helena. Most of the clauses and
sections in the constitution which
was drawn up at the Butte meeting
were familiar to the delegates of the
c. 1. 0. unions, but the fact that the
convention adopted the constitution
is very significant. It e that a
permanent Council or Federation of
c. l. 0. organizations has been estab-
lished in the state of Montana and
%henceforth the c. l. o. will have a
state president, a state secretary and
state executive board members. The
convention nominated these officers.
The election will take place the first
week in June, thereafter the c. L. o.
will be a permanent factor of the
labor structure of the state of Mon
tana.
The important international unions
composing c. 1. o. in Montana are
the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea, the International Union of Mine,
Mill and Shelter WoIhere which in
clude all the smelter workers of
Montana, Federal Workers of Amer
lea, and the United Cannery, Agri-
cultural, Packing and Allied Work
ers Of America No. 155. The Great
Falls Typographical Union was rep
resented at the meeting.
Joe Hunter, district president of
the United Mine Workers, District
No. 27, of the Coal Miners, and Joe
Bosone, former president and now
connected with the Unemployment
Compensation Commission of Mon
tana, spoke before the delegates.
Approximately $4,000 people are
at this time represented in the pro-
posed state committee for Industrial
Organization Council.
Mr.. Bob Brown, president of Butte
Miners Union No. l, gave the well
coming address to the delegates. He
stressed the fact that something
should be done to advance the in
terests of organized labor in the state
of Montana.
Joe Hunter, president of the United
Mine Workers of America, District
No. q, gave a short address and
stated something constructive should
come from this convention, not only
for the coal miners but for labor in
general.
Reed Robinson, of Denver, Col
president of the International
Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, was
then introduced and gave a con-
talk regarding the C. 1. o.
and its purposes. He stated that
peace negotiations between the A. F.
of L. and the c. l. o. had collapsed
since the A. F. of l.. would make no
concessions, and would only make
peace on a basis that they could
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