The Sidney herald., 1959-09-16
UNEMPLOYMENT
STATE PICTURE
NOT BRIGHT

The number of workers other
than members of the striking
union idled by the metal mining
dispute who filed claims for I'M
employment insurance benefits as
the strike entered the third week
tailed 2,248 according to Chad
wick H. Smith, Chairman of the
Unemployment Compe n S a t i o n
Commission. The strikers them
selves are not eligible and for the
most part are not filing claims.
The statewide total of all claims
last week stood at ATOP.
There was the expected claim
increase of lap over the prior
week, Smith said, as eligible
workers unemployed because of
the strike filed claims for their
first benefit checks. These claims,
to compensate for the first full
week of unemployment which
ended August 90, were based on
initial claims filed the last two
days of the week after the start
of the srike on August 10. Since
most of these claimants had two
days of employment prior to Aug.
10, there could be no valid claims
for the week ended August %.
Since claims for the week ending
29, the first full week of
total unemployment, could not be
filed until the w~eekending Sept.
the claim decline which showed
for the weekending August 90
clouded the view of the true claim
picture, Smith explained.
Sizeable weekly claim increases
will continue for the next few
weeks, Smith predicted, as new
claimants become eligible to certi-
fy for benefit payments. For
example, last week 1928 initial
were filed. OF this number
III came from workers layed off
by reason of the metal mining dis
oute. Many of the new claims last
week were filed by salaried work
RS of the Anaconda Company in
Butte and Anaconda who were
'urloughed or assigned to part
ime duty for the duration of the
Smith said. Determination
# eligibility of these claims will
INVOLVE a complex examination
process because of the unusual
actors involved and the varied
tatus of each Individual claim.
The week prior to the start of
he metal mining strike ranked
dontana in the lowest eight of
states by percentage of I'M
mployed workers in the labor
.rce covered by the unemploy-
nent compensation law. Accord
ng to the latest figures from the
S. Department of Labor, 1.8
Fer cent of Montana's insured
abor force was unemployed at
1id-August compared to the ma
ional average of "a per cent.
Last week the economic picture
egan to darken in the timbered
of the state as the lumber
nd sawmill workers struck
gainst a major Montana employer
t Bonner on August 33 idling over
90 workers. Daily wage loss is
stimated at $500. There were
0 new unemployment claims filed
asst week as a result of this action.
Strike threats in the lumber in
ustry at Kalispell and Thompson
'alls cloud the labor market pic
Ire in those areas. Two Kalispell
contractors started to lay
IF workers, and saw mills in the
rea are hesitant to stock pile logs.
Though peak activity continues
/ the woods and mills at Thomp-
IN Falls, a strike date if Sep
IL has been set if
livingston area, free from labor
'oubles, continues to look for ex-
erienced saWmill workers.
Lesser factors which helped to
ampen enthusiasm on the state
ide labor market scene last week
ere layoff of 20 railroad workers
Shelby, completion of some road
I'D building projects, waning |