Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-08-19
1859 Briggs Workers
Referred 10 New
Positions by USES


the Briggs Clarifier Co. last Thurs
day, the United States Employment
Service had referred 1859 to new
jobs by yesterday afternoon-some
of them paying more than the
Briggs jobs-but not all the work
ers with referral cards in their
pockets were sure they would take
the proffered jobs.
The USES, which moved 10 in
terviefers into the Bethesda plant
in two-day effort to provide new
jobs for the displaced workers,
reported 234 of them were inter-
viewed for work.
To the USES, this was a good
proportion. USES interviewers
pointed out "a lot of people don t
feel like talking about jobs on Sat-
urday.' To spur interest in the
job opportunities provided by USES
interviewers went up and down the
line asking workers waiting for their
final pay checks if they would like
to talk about new jobs.
JOu iOSpCCtS Di III.
Some of the men said they were
going into business for themselves.
Others, who had been employed less
than six months at the plant, said
they thought they would take a
little vacation. And still others
made it clear they thought there
were plenty OF jobs at good wages
open here and they wanted to do
some shopping for them.
When they lined up for their last
paychecks, some of the men COM
planned they had been assured at
a mass meeting, two months ago in
the plant, they would have perma-
nent postwar jobs.
Spokesman for the company said
they honestly had that impression
themselves for all but temporary
summer workers. They said they
had hired 294 workers to get over
the summer hump" of orders and
had expected to let them go in Sep
TENDER. When the Jap surrender
came, plant spokesman said, they
decided to cut those workers off the
payroll Immediately and the USES
was given advance notice of their
skills SO they could try to find
matching jobs.
Orders Abruptly Stop.
The day before the layoff was to
take place, according to the plant
an order came from the Army Air
Forces canceling the supply con-
tract which the company had as
sumed would 60 on indefinitely
since it was maintenance work on
refllls for oil filters already in use,
AS a result of that order, plant
spokesman said, the company had
to lay off SIS instead of less than
300 workers and had to release vet
Grams and men who had been with
the company more than six months
These were two groups which were
not to have been affected by the
proposed layoff.
Some OF the men said in addi-
ton to assurances of permanent Jobs
they had been promised raises
Others weren't sure whether the,
were temporary or permanent work
ers. But all of them were concerned
with getting as much if not more
pay in the future than they had
made at Briggs.
One man who had been making
$l.20 an hour at the plant as a
maintenance mechanic, was referred
by the USES to a job paying $1.5C
an hour, but he said he thought he
might be able to do better.
Veteran Gets a Raise.
A World War veteran who had
been making $40 a week at the
plant as guard, was referred to a
$50-a-week job as an auto me-
chanic and went off contentedly for
his interview with the prospective
employer.
A veteran of this war declined the
USES offer to talk about jobs. Dur
ing five years of service in the
Navy, the 23-year-old veteran
learned mechanics and became head
man in the ships engine room. He
had never worked before he entered
the service but he wanted to find
something for himself. He said his
minimum would be $1.20 an hour
A labor foreman who said he was
making $3.50 month base pay anc
$685. with overtime was given a re.
ferral card to a truck drivers job al
$45 week.
Wages About the Same.
The USES talked about job open.
ings varying in wages from 65 cent.
to SLIT cents an hour. Generally
the openings were at about the SAINT
pay the man had been making.
Seven men, sitting in the com.
pany's bus waiting for it to take
them back to the District line, each
had a referral card.
An elderly colored man, who main
tanned he could do all sorts of work
said he would like to be a janitor
He had been making 80 cents ar
hour and held a referral card to {
landscape company, offering IS cent.
an hour. Asked why he didn't TAXI
any of the janitor's jobs offered, h,
responded:
yes. they had some janitor's job,
but the monetary consideration
wasn't suficient."