Montana labor news., 1939-11-23
news OF THE SILVER
BOW TRADES COUNCIL


A communication came to the
Trades and Labor Council from the
Montana State Industrial Union
Council calling attention to an ac-
ton taken by the council to place
all workers in the state of Mon
tana under the civil service system.
This question will be brought up
for a vote provided that enough
signatures for petitions now being
circulated, are obtained. 1t was
brought out in the communication
that if the proposal to place all state
employees under civil service is ear
ried that it will nullify H. B. 65,
which has been so Objectionable to
the unions. 1t may be remembered
that H. B. IS provided that the Gov
ernor has the power to hire and fire
all appointive state officials. The
unions in Butte are circulating the
petitions in order to get the PROPOSE
ton on the ballot in 1910.
Quarry workers of Butte, which
is a CLIO organization, requested that
their delegates be seated in the
Trades and Labor Council. The re-
quest was submitted to the organi-
cation committee.
One of the most important things
that has come up in the Trades and
Labor Council in several months,
was the communication from the
Butte Plumbers Union asking a con
ference between the grievance COM
mittee and a committee from the
Plumbers Union, in order to try to
ad just the difficulty over the boy
colt of Fred Grandpre and the Ows-
ley building. The Butte Miners
Union has lately taken a very ac-
tive interest in this controversy and
prospects are quite bright for a
settlement.
A letter of appreciation was re-
ceived from the Bessette family in
regard to a tribute published in the
Montana Labor News to the late
Mr.. Charles Bessette. The Silver
Bow Trades and Labor Council has
had very cordial relations with Bes-
settle Printing Company over a
period of years and the letter ac-
knowledged its appreciation not
only for the business but also for
the esteem with which the unions
held Mr.. Bessette.
A report was made of the mass
meeting held by University Alumni
at the old Butte high school, No
vember II, at which County Attor-
ney Cubs Coyle presided and At
torney General Freebourn and DR..
Lennes, one of the discharged pro-
fessors at the University, spoke to
a fair crowd of sympathizers.
Some discussion arose OF a re-
port of a committee relating to a
declaration of unfairness against the
Richman Clothing Company at
Cleveland. A week previous the
Tailors Union sent in a complaint
stating that Richman Clothes was
unfair. 1t was brought out at the
Trades and Labor Council that the
local firm of Richman Clothing not
only handled that brand of goods
but also handled union made mer-
chandise. The unions are request
ed in buying clothes to make the
distinction between what is fair and
what is unfair.
Charles Davis, president of Sill
yer Bow Trades and Labor Council,
explained that vocational classes
operating under the jurisdiction of
the George Deem Act will start early
in December. The complete sched-
ule will be published in the Montana
Labor News next week. A So fee
will be charged for men and women
taking courses pertaining to nearly
all the skilled trades. Vocational
training is designed particularly to
assist men who are working in GER
tain skilled crafts to become more
proficient in their work. However,
there is one class that is open to