 Although Calumet & Hecla paid high wages by Copper Country standards, at the time of the 1913 strike, C&H wages were lower, and labor hours longer, than at the unionized copper mines of Butte, Montana.After the strike started, the mining companies maintained that it had already been considering a reduction of the work day to eight hours.The company maintained that the lower wages were more than made up by the lower cost of living compared to Butte.