The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-01-11
L. as. Workers.
Continued from Page One)

Il
! Butte Transfers Local.
Local 2797, Columbia Falls, reports
an agreement signed with the Glacier
Lumber company of Coram, recently
which puts this operation on the list
of fair Montana concerns. The agree
ment calls for a minimum wage of
S1.10 per hour, with corresponding in
creases in all job classifications; stan
dard hours of labor clause; and a
two-week vacation clause. In addi-
ton, the agreement requires the COM
pany to employ only members of the
Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union,
and the company agrees not to pur-
chase or handle any lumber unfair to
the Lumber and Sawmill Workers or
ganization This marks the first occa-
sion in which clause prohibiting the
handling of unfair lumber has been
written into Montana agreement. but
in this case it was included because
of the fact that the company purchas-
es large quantities of rough lumber
and finishes it in their planer. The
agreement was reached after quanti-
ty of lumber, manufactured by the
Glacier Lumber company, ran afoul of
the hot lumber ban of unions in Hell
ena and Butte, which resulted in an
embarrassing situation for a union
trucking contractor at Helena and
union contracting firm at Butte when
they learned that their employees
would not handle or use lumber which
had already been delivered
Local 2933's 100 per cent settlement
of the strike with the Riverview Man
ufacturing company did not end the
activity of this militant local union
in the lumber strike. The Tabor Mill
company at Hamilton, which became
non-union following the cancellation
by the company of the working agree
ment with Local 1888, remains picket |
ed and shut down by this local union.
The Ravalli County Trades and Labor
Council has officially proclaimed the
Tabor Mill as unfair to organized Ia
Dor and circulated its action to all |
Montana labor groups. Officials of |
Local 1888 state that this action will |
be maintained until the Tabor Mill |
has been recognized and agrees to
established in the Riverview Manu-
featuring plant. In the meantime, ar
rangements are under way to employ /
capacity crew at the Riverview plant
in efforts to supply the Hamilton com
munity with much-needed lumber that
is strictly union-made at the highest
prevailing wage scale.
The VIGOROUSLY unfair Forest Prod
ucts company of Kalispell is again in
the lime-light and being picketed by
members of Lumber and Sawmill
Workers Local Union No. 2773. The
pickets report that employees of the
are continuing to work be-
hind the picket line, but that business
being done by the company has be- ,
come practically nil. The handling of
any products whatsoever by this con-
Germ has been declared unfair and 9th
er unions in Kalispell are cooperating
100 per cent in refusing to patronize
the Forest Products company which
has a long record of refusing to deal
in any way with labor organizations.
The wage rate paid by this company
TO all of its employees is reported to
be rs cents per hour, with other work
ing conditions equally far below union
standards. This firm has been en-
gagged in disputes with practically all
labor over a period of sew
eral years, although the disputes were
not actively prosecuted during the
war The Kalispell Central Trades
and Labor Council and its affiliated Z
Inions have pledged their support to :
In about drive to establish union 4
wages and working conditions in this =
concern, in order to protect the wages
md working conditions of other work
men in the vicinity as well as to pro-
ect union competitors of the unfair 4
Forest Products. The renewed action II
Lgainst the Forest Products company II
vas stimulated by recent move to
nlarge and extend the companys OPP II
rations in competition to union con- II
erns in the Kalispell vicinity. 1t is III
eported that the company has pur-
hased new sawmill to be set up in II
in an effort to cash in on II
he current lumber strike by produc- II
ng lumber, for which there is an I'M II
United demand, at cheap wage scales
ow being paid by the unfair estab- II
II
The Montana State Federation of III
.abor, in special executive board II
Meeting, December 20 and 30, adopted II
motion pledging the about financial II
nd moral assistance to the striking III
lumber and Sawmill Workers in Mon III
ana. According to Albert Root, who III
J the executive board member of the III
tate Federation representing the III
lumber and Sawmill Workers, the HI
leeting spent a substantial amount OF iii
s twoday session in a discussion of III
ne lumber strike and the bitter strug- iii
lie of the Lumber and Sawmill Work III
rs to protect their organization III
gainst the stalling lockout tactics of III