Fraternal Organizations and Unions Letterheads

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1929

The letterhead is from:
"Laundry Workers' International Union Local No. 25 Butte, Montana Abe Thomas, President Frank Donovan, Business Agent Guy Sweet, Secretary". Beneath the letterhead is a bug which says "Butte Printing Butte Mont. Trade Council [?]"

Dated June 10, 1929. The text of this letter reads:
"To The Members of Organized Labor in the State of Montana, Greeting: The striking laundry girls of Butte, Montana, are now on their fourth week of a strike, for an increase in wages and for sanitary conditions to work under, and at this time the striking laundry workers of Butte are appealing to their sister and brother members in the State of Montana for financial aid, and we sincerely hope and trust that the members of Organized Labor will render us financial assistanc [sic] at this time. The laundry workers of Butte are the lowest paid of any organized wage earners in Butte. Over eighty per cent of the laundry girls are receiving only the small miserable wage of $17.00 per week, and a large number of the striking laundry women are Widows, with many small children to support on this paltry sum.

In some cases the striking laundry women have four or five children to support, or in reality just make an attempt to support their little ones and take care of them and also support themselves without any outside aid. Local Union No. 25 of Butte has asked for only a $2.00 increase in the wages of the girls and women who are receiving only $17.00 per week, and their modest and fair requests have been refused by all the four laundries, and the result is that the laundry girls are now out on strike and we feel confident that we will win our strike if we are able to procure finances to take care of the strikers. The four laundries are still closed down tight as the Union Engineers have quit in sympathy with the striking laundry girls.

At this time the strikers are in need of finances and we would appreciate greatly any small donations that your local union would care to make to the strikers at this time. The Silver Bow Trades And Labor Council has endorsed our strike and has declared the four laundries unfair to Organized Labor. We hope that your organization will come to our assistance at this time as we feel confident we will win this strike with your aid. In the event your organization decides to make a small donation to the striking laundry girls, please mail all checks to Guy Sweet, Secretary, Local No. 25, Laundry Workers' Union, Box 962, Butte, Montana.

We remain,
Fraternally Yours,
Business Agent Frank Donovan President Abe Thomas
International President James F Brock Secretary Guy Sweet
Secretary Silver Bow Trades and Labor Council John Vickers"

1929 letter about striking laundry girls of Butte, Montana [Enlarge_+] [Extra_Large]

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