Montana labor news., 1944-07-27
News of The Silver Bow
Trades & Labor Council
Forest Service Officials Ask
Assistance of Unions

Assistance of Unions
Officials of the Forest Service ap-
peared before the Silver Bow Trades and
Labor Council last Tuesday evening with
request that organized labor in Silver
Bow county set up a plan to provide
volunteer forest fire fighters. The rep
resentatives of the Forest Service who
appeared at the meeting were W. j.
Derrick, state co-ordinator of Montana
Fire Fighters Service, Billings, Mont;
w E. Fry, supervisor, Deer Lodge Ma
tional Forest, Butte, and " T Lintha-
cum, assistant supervisor Deer Lodge
National Forest, Butte
Mr. Derrick explained to the unions
that in past years it had not been diff
ficult to obtain persons to fight fires
but since the war the situation has
reached a rather critical situation He
explained that through the Forest EX-
tension Service state organizations hat
been created to register volunteers. The
! state organization is composed of county
units and each county is supposed tx
take care of its own fires. The speaker
explained that in many of the farm
counties and timber counties the prob
lem had not been so hard to solve, bu
in industrial areas such as Butte ant
Great Falls very few people had volun
teered their services.
A suggestion was made that the secre
tary of each union in Butte act as al
unofficial agent and urge members G
his union to volunteer for this work. Thi
plan would then give the Forest Servic
a reservoir from which to secure tn
volunteers. It was fuFther explaine
that men doing this work would be pai
the regular government pay. But, be
yond the pecuniary advantages ther
rests moral obligation to protect tn
resources of the government, and to Sc
that the forest grasses and crops are M
destroyed. The Trades Council gave il
whole-hearted approval to the reque'
of the Forest officials.
Charley Whiteley Of the Engineer
! who was a candidate for the Legislatm
in the primary election, but who Wa
defeated, expressed his appreciation
the Council. He emphasized the obi
CATION which rests on the shoulders
labor in the political field and urge
labor to take a more active and wild
participation in political affairs. M
Whiteley then called attention to Il
| need Of labor delegates attending Il
Silver Bow unit Of the Council for Pr
gressive Political Action, which NEE
every Thursday evening in Judge Dowl
: ey's court room.
, Along the political lines Gardner
the Miners again called attention to Il
need Of people registering in order to
able to vote at the general election
November.
| A report was made by the commit
representing the Trades and Labor Cou
Gil at the veterans Advisory Counc
which meets every Friday evening at t
Legion Hall. The Veterans Advise
Council is an organization which is see
ing to coordinate all of the groups
the community for the purpose of sol
ing some of the problems which t
veterans will face after the war is end'
The Butte Building Trades Council a.
the Silver Bow Trades and Labor Cou
Gil represent the ALL and the Mine
and Engineers represent the CLIO grouI
The report brought out several problei
which are facing the Veterans Count
At the present time one Of these rela
/ to whether an apprentice should be CIV
his old Job back and finish his tel
and what is to become Of the apprent
who took his place when he went awi
Another problem is in relation to sc
iority. Shall the time spent in the arr
be considered in computing seniori
rating?
The Miners delegates brought
quite an interesting situation when tt
called attention to the order of the "
Production Board permitting busin
firms employing workers from essent
industries on part-time schedules OF
hours a week. For example, is a m
chant down town wanted to emp
somebody working in the mining ind
try under this order he could emp
this person for 30 hours in any
week. but the rub is if this man or wo
an is classified as a part-time worl
he or she is prohibited from receiv
overtime rates which would be tan
mount to a violation of a union contra
So the Trades and Labor Council W
on record as limiting part-time work
- fe ,,o,,ro 1Ypalx and EXPRESSING