Montana labor news., 1939-07-27
LUMBER AND 5AWMILL
WORKERS TO MEET
AT KALISPELL

ELL.-lIlS week, On July
% and 80, Kalispell will be host to
the first labor convention to be held
here in many years when the Inland
Empire District Council of Lumber
and Sawmill Workers holds its semi
annual meeting in that city.
Lumber and Sawmill Workers Lo-
Gals 2773 of Kalispell, 1904 of Somers
and 2797 of Columbia Falls with the
cooperation of the Central Trades
and Labor Council of Kalispell have
arranged to accommodate and to
entertain a crowd of visitors that
will probably closely approach the
500 mark as fifteen or more Lumber
and Sawmill Workers local unions
of the Inland Empire will be repre-
sented, as well as ~fraternal delegates
from other unions and central coun-
ellis of Montana and Lumber and
Sawmill Workers councils of the
Northwest. Locals 1881 of Libby and
1862 of Troy plan to have large dele
cations which with the membership
of the three Flathead county locals,
would constitute a fair sized conven-
ton, as the combined membership
of the five locals, who are near
neighbors, is close to 700.
Registration of delegates and visi-
tors will commence at the regular
weekly meeting of the Kalispell
Central Trades and Labor Council
Friday evening and continue Satur-
day morning with the official well
come by Mayor Williams of Kalispell
scheduled for l p. m, following
which the business of the convention
will get under way, directed by Sid
Wheeler of Spokane, Washington,
president of the Inland Empire Dis
trict Council.
A banquet at Carpenters hall and
a dance at the Community Club
House on Buffalo Hill, Saturday eve
ming will be the major entertainment
of the convention. Business sessions
will continue Sunday morning, if
necessary, followed by sightseeing
trips to the many scenic points of
interest adjacent to Kalispell.
Membership in the Lumber and
Sawmill Workers Union, which is a
branch of the United Brotherhood
of Carpenters and Joiners of Amer
lea, is growing rapidly in the North
west as favorable collective bargain
ing action under provisions of the
MIRA is being more readily accept
ed by both employers and employees.
It appears that many hundreds of
mill and woods workers r only
just beginning to realize what their
rights r under the law and natural
ly the desire for proper organization
to exercise those rights is gaining
great Roadway.
To adequately take care of the
many details of organization and col
lective bargaining with employers,
district councils of the L. and S. W.,
with representatives constantly in
the field, r very essential and re-
Gently several new councils have
been created to increase efficiency.
It is expected that separate council
for Montana will be set up following
the Kalispell convention to better
guarantee the permanence of local
unions already created and to better
coordinate the great amount of or
%ganization work yet to be done, espe-
cially among loggers and other
woods workers.
LAUNDERING is still one of the top
major industries of Montana and it
is generally recognized that thorough
organization of the industry will
mean much to all other unions, espe-
cially in the western part of the state.
According to all reports, labor lead
ers of Kalispell expect to be con
sistently active in an endeavor to
bring about the obviously desirable
result and gain the full support of
the workers in the lumber industry
for the activities of the many small
er unions. A good convention in
Kalispell this week end will help
materially in the program ahead and
it is hoped that union members of
all crafts who can pay a visit to the
Kalispell convention will do so. The
invitation is general and the hospi-
tally of Kalispell is we'll known.
Special Edition of Union Register