Evening star., 1944-05-07
Job Releases
In Provoked
Firiings Blocked
VINO Refuses
New Employment
In 6 of 7 Cases
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

on Washington workers who delib.
erately force their employers to dis.
charge them, the area War Man.
power Commission reported last
night that it had refused job re.
leases to six of the first sever
workers affected by the new pro.
voked- discharge policy.
In one case, it was reported. VINO
asked mans draft board to induct
him after he had threatened to de-
stroy $500 worth of equipment a
day until he was given job release
by his employer.
The new procedure, announced
two weeks ago, provided that EN-.
ployers need not give releases tc
workers who provoked their dis
charge. Previously, all discharged
workers had to be given releases
and these workers had assumed
they, too would get a release tc
change jobs if they were fired.
SdScS lnFeStIgaLe0.
In each of the first seven cases
an investigation was made by the
area VINO compliance division after
the United States Employment
Service office here reported the
workers apparently had forced theil
employers to fire them and then hac
come to the USES for job releases
On the basis of the compliance
divisions recommendations, Acting
Area Director Arthur L. Schoentha!
denied the six releases. The work
ers have the right to appeal but, il
they are denied a release on ap-
peal, they will have to wait so days
before working again.
The report made by Harry E
Armstrong, area compliance chief
showed not only the lengths te
which workers would 60 to make
their employers discharge them, but
also the amount of trouble en-
lployers were willing to take from
disgruntled workers before they
finally discharged them.
Six of the seven workers we're men
all but one of whom had been classi-
fled in AZ. The sixth man hac
not yet been reclassified out of ga
by his Virginia board. According tc
Mr.. Armstrong, all the men wanted
to change jobs for higher pay.
Details of Cases.
Mr.. Armstrong gave this digest
of the cases:
l. A 28-year-old mechanic in 6
large car agency repair shop spent
two weeks trying to get discharged
He would report for work drunk ano
refuse to leave, asking daily for q
release. He tried not showing ur
for work, threatened the foreman
and finally beat up fellow worker
putting him into the hospital fo,
three days. He then was discharged
2. A 22-year- -old lens grinder in
an optical plant resorted to threats
to get his discharge. He was being
paid $3.50 a week, including over
time, but had located a job that
would pay him more. He would
stand up in the middle of the plant
shouting to other workers that they
were "saps' to work there wher
he knew where they could get 2(
per cent more pay. He told the
foreman he would do no more work
until his discharge but would clock
in regularly and remain at the
plant enough time to accumulate
overtime.
When this threat failed, he walk
ed out of the plant with the warn
ing that if he did not get his re-
lease the next day, he would start
breaking up $500 worth of equip.
ment day and would break some.
body's neck" He was discharged
This was considered a particularly
serious cases by VINO, because the
plant is filling prescriptions for the
Naval Hospital and Walter Reec
Hospital, and the mans draft boarc
was informed.
Sit-Down Strike Staged.
| 3. A 19-year-old houseman in q
large hotel was discharged after
he sat down in chair in the hoteI
corridor and refused to move until
he was discharged. The USES dis
covered the case after the man had
gone to work in war plant and
had signed statement that he
had not worked in an essential
activity during the previous &C
days. A routine reference check
by the plants personnel office un-
covered the fact that he had Just
left the hotel. He was discharged
by the plant and came to the USES
Tor release from his hotel en-
ployer.
q. A 20-year-old sandblaster fol
ar oil purifying company, whose
product goes exclusively to the
Navy tried sitting down on the
job and wandering away from the
production line in an endeavour tc
get his discharge. The company
spent three days telling him how
necessary he was and how hard tC
replace and even offered him a iot
more to his liking if he would wait
till he could be replaced. When he
refused to work after this appeal
he was discharged.
5. An 18-year-old apprentice in.
strument maker in war plant
which had spent IA months train.
ing him tried absenteeism to get 6
release. Later, he tried to start
dice games during working hours
and continually disturbed Other
workers at delicate instruments
The company put up with his ac-
tivltieS for nearly a month. trans.
ferring him to one department after
another in the hopes that he woulc
stay on the job. He was finally
discharged.
Waitress Refuses to Work.
6, A 2l-year-old counter girl in s
large restaurant wanted to go tt
work In hotel where friend wa:
employed. She refused to wait or
customers, slowed down on the iol
and disappeared from work durin.
rush hours. After two weeks O
this, she was discharged.
7. The only release granted wa
to an eX-buS driver and his reIea c,