Montana labor news., 1939-11-30
HOUR DISPUTE
IN DISTRICT (0URT
Company's Move to Quash I'm
der Amusement; Union Con-
fident of Victory.

The first shots of what promises
to be an historic legal battle were
fired Tuesday in Judge Lynch's Dis
trict Court at a hearing on a show
u order on a petition filed by
Butte Miners Union attorneys, seek
ing an injunction restraining the
Anaconda Copper Mining company
from continuing the present nine to
nine and one-half hour work day in
the Butte mines.
In between the arguments on pro-
cedure which followed a motion to
quash, both sides argued on the
merits of the petition which charges
the A. C. M. Co. with violation of
the states S-hour laws by requiring
its underground employees to be at
the mine and in its service from
nine to nine and one-half hours a
day.
The hearing continued throughout
the day with the courtroom filled
WIFI llllilCIS.
Judge Lynch finally declared he
would take the motion to quash
under advisement and further hear
ing will be held on the basis of
briefs to be submitted by both sides.
The officers and committeeman of
the union expressed themselves as
being confident that the miners will
obtain a favorable and a speedy de-
cision. Attorneys for the union are
Wellington D. Rankin and Phillip
O'Donnell. Representing the de-
PENDANT company were Attorneys
Finlen and Hoover.
Action Causes General Interest
The action of Butte Miners Union
in seeking a court decision against
the long work day is creating con-
siderable interest on the part of
local people who are not directly
connected with mining. Most of
Butte's citizens, other than miners,
have hitherto been of the opinion
that the five to six thousand miners
on the Butte Hill have been working
On IN eight-hour day basis. This
misunderstanding grew out of the
s%upposition that miners work only
during the period between mine
whistles.
The nature of the miners work
day, however, is now becoming
clearer in the minds of Butte peo-
pie. The work day extends beyond
the eight-hour period prescribed by
state laws. In order to put in a
days work miners are expected to
report at the mines Con day shift
for an example) at least Is minutes
before the 8 a. m. whistle, and e
main in actual service for the COM
pany at least until 4':45 p. m. when
they are through with work, al
though still on the premises. In
many cases they are brought to
surface later than 4:45 p. m, which
extends the continuous hours of
service beyond nine.
No miner or underground worker
works less than eight and one-half
continuous hours a day.
Action Preceded by Years of
Struggle
The action Of the union in seeking
a court decision against the long
hours is a continuation of a struggle
for an eight-hour collar-to-collar day
which dates through the past few
years. Several unsuccessful at
tempts to pass eight-hour collar-to-
collar bills in the state legislature
were made. Their defeat was chiefly
contributed to by company lobbyists,
who maintained that the question of
the hours in the Butte mines is a
local me, and should be decided in
local negotiations between miners
and the company.
Discouraged by the company con-
troll of the legislature, the union de-
cided to center on the eight-hour
question in the 1898 negotiations for
a new agreement. During the lengthy
negotiations officials of the company
refused to meet the demand which
was discussed with them for a num-
Der of days. At the conclusion of
(Continued on Page ~