Women's Protective Union (Butte, Mont.)

The Women's Protective Union (WPU) was organized in Butte, Montana, in 1890. Neither a craft nor a trade union, the WPU was created for the sole purpose of protecting against economic exploitation any woman working outside the home. The WPU negotiated contracts for cooks; waitresses; dish washers; cashiers in cafes; pantry, yard, and bucket girls; maids (including chambermaids, seamstress and linen room maids, bath maids, and maid aides); janitresses; and elevator girls. Its membership was strictly limited to women until 1973. Early WPU activists included Lena Mattausch, Sarah Michaels, and Nora Hanley. The WPU was originally associated with the Knights of Labor. Until 1907, when it affiliated with the Hotel and Restaurant Employees International Union, the WPU was associated variously with the American Labor Union, the Western Federation of Miners, and the Industrial Workers of the World. In the early 1920s the WPU joined with the Cooks and Waiters' Union, Local 22, and the Bartenders International League of America, Local 55, to create a joint board. Each of the three member unions retained its respective autonomy. In 1973 the WPU merged with the Cooks and Waiters Union to become the Culinary and Miscellaneous Employees Union, Local 457. In 1982 they were joined by the bartenders and formed the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union, Local 457. Lena Mattausch, Maybelle Benedict, and Margaret Harrington served as financial secretaries for the WPU; Blanch Averett Copenhaver and Bridget Shea served as presidents; and Valentine Kenny Webster served as the business agent during the 1960s and 1970s.

From the guide to the Women's Protective Union, No. 457. (Butte) Montana, 1901-1974, (Montana Historical Society Archives)

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