The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-11-19
LABOR'S STRUGGLE FOR A
CO-ORDINATOR
By JAMES D. GRAHAM

r turn of soldiers from the army to civ
ilian life, much unemployment was
evident and program of good road
building was adopted by the legisla-
ture with one man highway COM
missioner.
The taxpayers Of various counties
voted bonds to build roads as part of
the state highways, to give work to
the unemployed and especially those
who could get no work when they
came home from military service.
Contracts were let for the construc-
ton Of stretches of highway and a
few home men were employed as in
many instances contractors from 9TH
er states got the contracts and
brought their employees from out of
the state with them.
Later the highway commission was
made up of three men and a gas tax
to build highways with federal aid
was voted by the voters of the state.
Many contracts were sub-let as Oft
en- as five and six times, and as each
sub-contractor endeavored to make
were cut, the eight-hour law on public
works was violated to such that truck
drivers and shovel runners worked as
high as sixteen hours a day to make
a wage equal to the prevailing wage
of the community at eight hours,
wages as low as twelve and one-half
cents an hour were paid by some con-
| tractors.
Men were hired by highway con-
tractors for $500 to $500 day and be
boarded by the contractor at work
camps at the rate of $1.50 day and
up. When they quit and asked for
the wages due them, the contractor
would inform them that they had no
wages coming but were in debt to
him for board. These men were new
er able to get satisfaction from the
law enforcement officers of the county
in which they worked, or from the
highway commission. These workers
were robbed of the wages they earned |
When the highway was first built
east and west of Miles City, very few
Montana men were given work on the
project, some of the labor transients
were paid 25c an hour and worked as
many as twelve hours day and
charged by the contractor $1.50 per
day for board.
The late Joseph Scanland, publisher
of the Miles City Star and president
of the Miles City Commercial Club,
took up the fight for the highway
workers employed in the vicinity of
Miles City which resulted in better
wages and working conditions.
Many of the out-of-state contractors
brought their employees with them
out-of-state license plates, even the
trucks of the contractors never car
ried state license plate, even the hay
and grain fed the horses were brought
from out of the state. When the hay !
and grain were purchased from local
farmers along the line of construc- /
ton, often it was never paid for.
Complaints were often heard that
some out-of-state contractors never t
paid for material purchased for high
way construction, gas and oil for their !
trucks, or, for the groceries used in {
their boarding camps. {
When representatives of labor COM :
planned to the highway commissioners
about the unfair practices of some of !
the contractors, the commissioners !
would reply 1--WE are interested in '
building highway and it is not our q
business to enforce the law" AL r
though there were clauses in the con-
tract that the contractors must COM 9
ply with the state laws, such as the h
eight-hour day law, etc. @
The Montana State Federation of v
Labor carried on campaign to en- o
force the eight-hour law, jobs were {
picketed, to get evidence of law viola n
ton, complaints were sworn charging f
contractors with violation of the eight +
hour law. Most of the contractors ar i,
rested, pleaded guilty to working their A
employees more than eight hours a a
lay in violation of the law and were T
sentenced to pay the minimum fine a
'or that offence $4,000. However, at "
lrst 1t was hard to get county attor- a.
leys to prosecute the violations of the "
'ight-hour law, after number of con-
Eictions were had, the enforcement of d
he eight hour law became more popu- II
ar with county attorneys. 81
Inc writer called on county attor- fl
ley to get warrant for a highway W
contractor who was working his en- W
'loyees ten hours a day. The COM Fl
'lalnt was signed and the warrant fl
made out by the justice of the peace s.
nd the county attorney promised to Sc
dvise us when the trial would take III
lace. Months went by with no word
eng received from him. The writer M
hen visited the city where the county ct
ttorney lived and called on him to NJ
IND out when the case was coming RI
trial, the gentlemen claimed that 10
e thought the case had been dis fir
1lssed. A visit with the constable to of
he justice of the peace was made. m
he latter could not remember any, tr
hing about the case and a search of CT
is records was made. The justice of w;
ne peace held court in the front room or
his home which was a small frame to
uilding, the family kitchen was adj t1f
)ln1ng the court room and in the tr.
GOD box behind the cook stove. we w.
'und the complaint partially covered he
TN IRE wood. The warrant was an
srved by the sheriff of neighboring re-
ounty, the contractor pleaded guilty re-
nd was fined fifty dollars (S5OOO) FRI