The people's voice., 1959-01-16

TO 1lnd JoD.
James S. TIMBER, Helena, president
of Montana State AFL-CIO, spoke
on the aims of labor at the State Leg
islature, stating that labor in Mon
tana is going to the Legislature with
one single program on which all seq
ments of labor can agree. He said
large portion of the program is of
the social type, including education,
taxes and community services.
The strictly labor measures the
united labor groups in Montana will
ask for, he said. are:
1. Improvements in the Workmen's
Compensation Act so the injured
worker who cannot earn his living
at his trade can have decent stand
ard Of living. TIMBER said, eve are
going to try and determine whether
the Workmen's Compensation Act is
welfare act or a compensation act".
2. Make Industrial diseases a part
of the Workmen's Compensation Act.
Presently he said industrially diseased
workers must go to the welfare de-
partment when they can no longer
work for living. "This is an obliga-
ton of the industry in which they
work., he said, "and not an obligation
of the general taxpayer.
8. Increase unemployment compen-
sation payments and increase the
duration of payments. He told about
House Bill 1, bill directing the Un-
employment Compensation Commits
sion to accept federal extention of
payment benefits, which would mean
eleven more weeks of jobless pay to
workers who have exhausted their
benefits under the Montana law.
A. The minimum wage proposal,
which will be $1.25 this session. Um-
Der pointed out that last session labor
had put so many exemptions in the
bill because of complaints of busi-
nessmen that 1--WE all but tore up the
bill, and we are not going to change
it one word this session..
5. Work for passage of Constitu-
tional amendment adding Little
Wagner Act" to Montana basic law.
He said this was to protect Montana
labor from such legislation as So
called Fright work" and a little
Taft-Hartley Act. "a Constitutional
amendment can not be vetoed by the
Governor" he said.
6. Support the collar-to-collar bill
for miners.
7. Support state Machinists in their
effort to get a licensing bill which
will protect the motoring public.
Ernest Saivas, Butte, executive
board member, international Union
of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers,
told the institute, "There are three
feed bills in the Legislature, one is
whether to feed the unemployed, an
other to feed the Legislature (the
Legislature Immediately passed that)
and the third whether to feed the
governors of the nation.
He explained that House Bill 1
authorizes and directs the UnempIoy-
ment Compensation chairman to enter
into an agreement with the federal
government for extention of pay
ments to jobless Montana workers.
He said our welfare loads have in
creased because of unemployment
and that cost is being borne by Mon
tana taxpayers. He said he did not
believe the federal government would
require repayment of any benefits
Montana received under the federal
law, therefore if Montana did not
accept the benefits her taxpayers
would pay twice for the unemploy-
ment-once through welfare taxes
and next by their federal tax con-
tribution.
Salvas compared the Unemploy-
ment Compensation fund to a farmer
putting up hay for the winter. "The
problem is we have not put up
enough hay, he said, "and the win
ters are getting longer and en-
oloyers say feed them less hay, not
get more hay.
He said employers are sabotaging
he principle of the unemployment
and industrial accident
avs. /