Montana labor news., 1939-04-20
HAPPENINGS OF The
CENTRAL LABOR BODY

The mandamus proceedings brou-
ght against the State Welfare Board
to restore relief allowances has been
postponed to the 22nd Of this month.
+ + =
Senators Murray and Wheeler in
formed the Trades and Labor Coun-
Gil they favored an amendment to
the sugar act. If this act is passed,
it will mean that Montana will get
more out of her sugar production.
The bill has passed the Senate and
is now in the House.
+ j. =
A letter was received from the
Kentucky Miners Defense Commit
tee. 1t was in relation to four min
ers who are in Jail in Harlan County,
Kentucky convicted of participating
in some killings during a strike in
1881. The organized labor move
ment is doing all in its power to get
these men freed.
Frank Finnegan was endorsed by
the Trades and Labor ouncil to re-
tain his position as postmaster in
Deer Lodge County. The Trades
Council is going to write a letter to
Wheeler, Murray and Farley notify
ing these men Of the action Of the
central labor body.
* y s.
The butchers of Los Angeles COM
plain that Swift and Company is I'M
fair to the organizations down there.
Kalispell unions are having some
trouble with the Mercy Hospital in
Flathead County. 1t is alleged that
the hospital gave a contract to a per-
son named Bailey who was doing
some construction work under anti
union conditions and that the As
ISOLATED Industries and the Hospital
are working together. Father O'Far-
rell has been appealed to by the un-
ions to try to settle it or at least to
have a union contractor put on the
job.
= = Il
A letter was received from Phil
o. Keeney, former librarian of the
State University calling attention to
the effort to raise funds from the
faculty of the university. The whole
letter is published in another part
of this paper.
The Pecan Workers union of San
Antonio, Texas, sent in a long COM
munication telling of the perils of the
pecan industry. This industry comes
under the Wages and Hours Act.
They asked for an exemption, but
it was denied. The union is ask
ing the National Congress not to
take any action regarding any amen
dments of the Wages and Hours bill
The Legislative Committee of the
Trades Council is going to go en-
tirely into the matter and then write
to the Pecan Workers at San An
tonic, Texas.
In the report of the planning
Board, it was mentioned that the
Board had asked for a thousand men
to be added to the Montana quota.
AT the present time, the quota of
Silver Bow County is 1923 which
includes GLIB women. Already 635
persons are certified but who have
not yet been placed to work.
= = =
Mr.. McGrath, County Clerk and
Recorder, and Mr.. Wright, city audi
tor went to Helena the other day
to interview the State Board of
Examiners in order to have money
transferred to the State Welfare
Commission to be used for relief
purposes in this county. One of the
difficulties in the relief situation as
vas brought out in a report appears
to be that the counties of Montana
owe the State Welfare Board about
$334,000. The whole question is
quite tangled up and a statewide
conference has been called to meet
at Helena, Montana, on May 7th.
Organizations and people who are
interested in the conference are in
vited to attend.
The Miners union and other in
terested organizations will hold a
joint May Day meeting April Both.
A preliminary conference will take
place Sunday, April 23rd at the
Miners Union Hall. The committee
plans to have radio talks, a parade,
and an inside meeting. Delegates
connected with the Trades and La
Dor Council and affiliated unions
are participating in the celebration.
It was reported by the Engineers