Montana labor news., 1939-02-02
TRADES COUNCIL GIVES.
VIEWS ON BILLS NOW
PENDING AT SESSION

Ed Duncan, delegate to the Trades
and Labor Council from the Elec-
trical Workers 65, was selected to
give labor's Interpretation of What
Is Americanism" in the public forum
discussion being sponsored by Mr..
Richard Lake under the Adult Edu-
cation program of the WPA, held
Wednesday evening, February 1st.
Other speakers on the program
were Attorney John Claxton, Arvo
Fredrickson, and Lowell Johnson,
city superintendent of schools.
Mr.. Leslie Taylor, instructor in
monetary science under the Adult
Education program of the Works
Progress Administration, will give
15-minute talk over Montana's
radio network Friday evening, Feb
ruary 3rd, at $3.50 p m. Mr.. Taylor
is a recognized authority on the sub
ject of money and banking. His
address should be particularly in
teresting.
A discussion of House Bill II
the 8-hour trucking bill-took place
in the Trades and Labor Council last
Tuesday evening. The central labor
body endorsed the bill. There is not
question of doubt but that the
trucking concerns in Montana are
unconscionsable in exploiting the
drivers and one need not go outside |
of Butte to discover these violations.
House Bill II, however, it is said,
originated in Billings, because of the
fragrant abuses of drivers in that |
community. It was reported in the
Trades and Labor Council that many |
of the drivers work from IA to 16
hours a day and this bill was intro
duced in order to compel greedy |
trucking concerns from overworking
employees. Objections that arose to
the bill were that the unions origi-
mating the bill should have been a
little more careful in the operations
covered by the act. In some in
stances union contracts and regula-
tions provide better conditions than
could possibly be arrived at through
legislation. Statutes in these in
stances ask only to control and regu-
late employers who do not either
agree to the state laws or to union
regulations.
The bakers 8-hour law, it was
reported, passed the House. This is
good because it is time that bakery
workers quit working 10 to Is hours
a day.
A long communication was re-
ceived from President James Ora
ham of the State Federation of
Labor, stating his reasons for oppos-
ing the state Wages and Hours bill.
Many unions and liberal people in
Montana felt very disappointed over
the failure of this measure to pass
but some consolation may be drawn
that the unions have at least
acquired new knowledge and a new
understanding of what must be in
cluded in the state wages and hours
act if it is not to operate against
them. Some say that the reasons put
up by the State Federation of Labor
did not have much foundation, 9TH
ers say that the logic presented was
incontrovertible Labor should again
learn to give more time and more
consideration to the drafting of laws
that it desires before the legislature
convenes.
The Trades and Labor Council
went on record as opposed to a mea-
sure that has been submitted to the
legislature which would give to the
County Commissioners supervision
and jurisdiction over county roads
and providing that the duties now
held by county surveyors be sh-
sorbed by County Commissioners. It
was reported that the State Fedora
ton of Labor is opposed to giving
this additional authority to the
County Commissioners.
A long history of the anti-union
activity of the Home Oil Company
was read before the council. A
was received from
the Great Falls union in which it
was brought out that the unions have
tried in every reasonable manner
to settle their trouble with the Home y
Oil Company and to get this COM
pany to recognize the unions and
to employ union people. All these
efforts have been without avail. &
There is nothing else for the unions
Of Great Falls to do but to ask other S
labor organizations to refuse to buy s
the products of the Home Oil Com !
pany.
A request from Great Falls that {
the unions of Butte go on record de- {
handing the release of d. A. Nc I