Evening star., 1944-03-19

| $50 were closed satisfactorily. meaning
that the determinations alleged were
removed.
The vast ajority of these complaints
affect only one or a few individuals in
some small industry. Others-like the
Southern railroads case-involve thou
sands of workers and many individual
corporations.
Racial Cases Predominate.
1t is an interesting fact that the COM
plants received by the FEPC vary in
number almost directly with the size of
the group affected Some 81 per cent of
the cases, filed almost entirely by
Negroes, alleged discrimination because
of race, In 9 per cent of the cases,
brought to the commission mostly by
Jews, the religious issue was involved.
Cases Involving alien nationality COM
posed 81 per cent of the whole, and
those based on national origins Az per
cent
The most important and interesting
case handled by the FEPC thus far is
that arising out of the complaint of
Negro employees of the railroads that
they were being Disseminated against
both III original employment and in ad-
vancement to more highly skilled and
better paid work. 1t is worth sketching
here in some detail not only because of
the number of persons and firms affected
but also because it has come to be a.
tpct Of ha T1EDC,,
The case had its origin in complaints
filed with the FEPC alleging that q
railroads were refusing to hire available
Negro flremen and would not promote
technically eligible firemen and brake
men to better positions as engineers and
conductors. The FEPC took up the
matter with the roads, and in time
various compromises were worked out
with all but ID
These IA roads all are parties to the
southeastern Carriers Conference
agreement of February, 1941, with the
railroad brotherhoods, which imposes
certain barriers to the employment of
Negroes. First, it provides that Negro
1lremen shall be limited to so per cent
OF the jobs in any seniority district in
which they work and are prohibited
from working in any seniority district
within carrier system where they were
not employed on the date of contract.
Further, the agreement classifies Negro
f1remen and brakemen as "nonpro-
motables'
Directive Is Issued
The FEPC held that these agreements
were Incompatible with the proven need
Tor firemen and brakemen on the rail-
roads and in contravention of the Presi-
dents original order for the full utiliza-
ton of manpower. After a series of
conferences and hearings too lengthy to
be described here the controversy be-
tween the Southern carriers and the
FEPC was brought to a head on No.
vember 18, when the FEPC issued a
directive to the roads ordering them to
abandon discrimination against Negro
applicants for jobs.
OF the roads receiving the order, IA.
all in the Southeastern Carriers Con-
terence agreement, refused to abide by
it, holding that the FEPC lacked power
to issue "directives." Their attitude was
expressed in joint letter to the COM
mission
Faced by this challenge to its basic
powers, the FEPC on last December 27
certified the position of the IA railroads
as well as that OF three labor unions
which had notified the commission that
they would not abide by its directive
and four others who had not replied
to the committee, to President Roose-
velt for action. Subsequently, the Presi-
dent appointed committee of three
prominent citizens to study the position
OF the railroads and unions and try to
bring about an agreement.
That, in very brief outline form, is the
gist Of the F'EPC-railroad controversy.
Added significance was given this first