Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-12-15

ficials last August. The occasion
for these conversations was the ex-
tension by VINO to the Capital
Transit Company of the highest
available employer priority rating
giving the company the right to
operate outside the sterilization
plan and hire employees at the gate
rather than be limited to referrals
from the U. S. Employment Serv-
ice. Only 5 employers in Washing
ton were given this privilege. Capt.
tai Transit STILL has it, despite
tendency of hearings against it for
violation of the Presidents execu-
tive order against discrimination,
and FEPC Chairman Malcolm
Ross assurance given newsmen
last week that VINO is "going to
cooperate"
Vernon MCGEE, deputy executive
director of VINO, told me on Aug.
10, that whenever an essential en-
ployer's employment practices are
discriminatory there is violation
of national VINO policy, which
would make the employer ineligible
for the high priority rating to
justify the privilege of hiring at
the gate. Then he continued:
"But the VINO operates on a
voluntary basis. Therefore, there is
in it less of the breakdown phi
losophy.
"We rely largely on the FEPC
to determine when an employer is
in violation on that point. Once we
are advised with convincing evil
dence-and I say convincing evil
dence because well, you see
Mr.. McAlpin, the FEPC is inter-
ested in display and making a
splurge, and some of those fellows
over there go overheard sometimes.
"What we want are results along
the line of fair-play and not fare
up as in Philadelphia. Of course, I
think Philadelphia was something
deeper.
"But once we are convinced, we
can change the priorities and use
sanctions.
"Take in Philadelphia, the VINO
cooperated with FEPC. 1t told the
men they could not be referred to
other war jobs unless they COM
Piled; and in Philadelphia they can
not get war jobs except through
the U. S. Employment Service"
MCGEE then said it was fair in
ference from the action of the
VINO area labor-management COM
mittee and the area director in
granting the highest priority to the
Capital Transit Company and not
subsequently cancelling it, that
they were not convinced that the
etc was violating any of the labor
utilization or sterilization program
regulations, not to mention the
Presidents Executive Order.
Leo Werts, director of Operations
at VINO, on August II, told me
when asked about the granting of
the highest priority rating to Capt.
tai Transit despite its discrim-
inatory practices:
"Well, now, that's a very, very
big problem. doubt very much,
regardless of our personal feelings
about some of these things, wheth-
err the VINO can make this priority
referral program, I mean use it as
a device to correct all the social
errors that exist.
"Of course, we have our regula-
lions that these companies should
not discriminate. But there have
been bigger people than we trying
to get Capital Transit Strengthened
out. l think it is unfair to expect
some of US small fry to do it
through our machinery"
On Aug. 10, Victor DAILY, then the
top-ranking Negro employee at the
District of Columbia office of the
U. S. Employment Service and re-
Gently promoted to field representa-
tive in the VINO regional office,
commented concerning the priority
rating given Capital Transit:
"That's the end of the effort to
get Negroes hired by the Capital
Transit.
"For over two years they have
had a Capital Transit man sitting
in the USES office recruiting on
a discriminatory basis, at the public
expense.
"What they should be doing is
using the sanctions they have to en-
force compliance with what the
President has called the national
policy. Instead, they grant special
privileges to the company which is
flagrantly violating that policy.
"They should cancel this priority
withdraw the privilege of hiring
at the gate, and refuse to refer
any men to the etc. In addition,
they could grant statements of
availability to those etc employees
who request them.
'There is hardly a day during
which from 20 to 20 etc employees
don't request statements of avail
ability. But we don't give them to
them. That's the only way the
company keeps the men it has. ,
81 was on the committee which
reviewed requests for statements of
availability. On one occasion, ]
a