Montana labor news., 1939-09-28
F. ". WOODWORK co.
UNFAIR TO-. MIS50ULA
CLERKS UNION

The F. w. Woolworth Company
of Missoula is unfair to the Mis-
soula Clerks Union, Local No. 99l,
R.C.I.P.A., for the following rea-
sons:
On August % the commercial
trades committee of the Missoula
County Trades and Labor Assembly
and a representative of the Retail
Clerks international Protective AS
ISOLATION contacted Mr.. Davis, dis
trict manager, and Mr.. Eby, local
manager, of the F. w. Woolworth
Company for the purpose of arriving
at a satisfactory settlement in re-
CARDS to a grievance against the
company presented by the Retail
Clerks Union Local No. 991. The
representatives of the F. w. Wool
worth Company advised the com
mercial trades committee that they
were of the opinion that the Clerks
Union was not very strong and that
they did not care to discuss the
grievance.
On August "a the Missoula Coun-
ty Trades and Labor Council con-
CURED in the action of the Clerks
Union in declaring the F. w. Wool
worth Company unfair.
Union Relations With the Company.
James Coyle, a member of Local
No. 684, Helena, Montana, was sent
to Missoula by representatives of
the F. w. Woolworth Company to
work in the store here. He was on
the job August rs when the picket
line was established and the repre-
sentatives of the company ques-
toned him in regards to the strength
of the Clerks Union in Helena. He
advised the representatives that he
was a member of the Clerks Union
in Helena and that the company
had an agreement with the Helena
local. The representatives then ad-
vised him to return to Helena.
Victor E. Jacobs, a member of
Local I'll, Havre, Montana, was also
sent to Missoula to work in the F.
W. Woolworth store. He left the
employ of the store in Missoula
after the strike had been in progress
a few days.
The Missoula Clerks Union Local
No. 991 has a number of cards signed
by employees Of the company
authorizing the Retail Clerks Inter
national Protective Association to
represent them, and in their behalf
negotiate all agreements as to wages
and working conditions.
There has been i%ntimidations and
coercion on the part of representa-
tives of the company against the
members joining the union.
There has also been misleading
information circulating that the en-
ployees r receiving union wages.
The officers of the Clerks Union Sc
cured information shortly before the
Woolworth Company was declared
unfair that the wages being paid
at that time were $12, $13 and $14
per week. The working agreement
of the Missoula Clerks Union pro-
vides that four out of five employees
receive a wage of $16 per week. One
apprentice being allowed for each
four clerks receiving the full scale.
The above wage scale applies to
variety stores, and it is one of the
lowest wage scales for members of
any of the clerks locals in the state
of Montana. The local manager of
the F. w. Woolworth Company does
not seem to appreciate this fact and
refuses to allow his employees to
become unionized.
Signed by the Executive Board
of the Missoula Clerks Union
Local No. 991, R. c. l. P. A..
Cars bearing the following out-of-
town license numbers and persons
to whom they are registered stopped
at Woolworth's store and the occu-
pants went through the picket line:
1-1O907-Lester A. Keilman, Stand
ard Motor Co.
1-8643-Mrs. Loren Gerard, 1857
Harrison st.
1-14O-Clarence c. Bates, GAO W..
Lena.
l-636-Mamie L. Poore, No. 3 North
Excelsior.
1-T1516-Fred Hanson, 1927 Nevada
1-1O980-Dr. S. E. Schwartz, Vir-
ginia Apis.
2-718-Harold Brown, 500 I. o. o. F.
Bldg, Great Falls.
2-3822-C. H. Silloway, 11O58 W..
Ave. So.
5-2248-Mrs. c. Wagner, ia Jeffer-
son, Helena.
5-3400-Edward E. Marsh, l05 Sixth
Ave, Helena.
29-91-Ernest Benson, Avon, Mont.
28-417-Dorothy Laylander, Drum
mond.
11-302-E. T. Peterson, Malta.
14-1445-Alva c. Gould, 416 Orr,
Miles City.
49-328-Charles r. Stennett, P. o.