Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-03-16
Example of How
Urban League
Does Your Work
Twin Cities Urban Leagues in
Service to Displaced War
Workers

Workers
The Urban Leagues Of the Twin
Cities are carrying on their pro-
grams of social service with espe-
cial emphasis TO displaced war
workers and veterans as illustrated
in the recent case of Jesse L. Ora
ham. Mr.. Graham received his re-
lease from Dupont Company in
Pasco, Washington, on February 5,
where he had been employed as a
driver Of trucks and buses, receiving
citation for safety during his ser
vice of II months of employment.
Mr.. Graham was a member of the
Transfers Union No. $50 of Spo-
kane, Washington. He was advised
by the personnel office of Dupont
that the Gopher Ordnance Plant in
st. Paul was very much in need of
truck drivers and that their wage
scale was comparable to the one
that he had been receiving, namely,
S1.20 per hour. He observed that
all of the white employees who had
been driving trucks during the con-
struction of the plant at Pasco were
assigned to production at $1.35 per
hour, but no such assignments were
made for the Negro workers.
Mr.. Graham states that he fol-
lowed the cue to come to the Twin
Cities seeking employment as a
truck driver at the Gopher plant be-
cause of this advice plus the fact
that he understood that the school
systems of Minnesota were very
fine and would offer an opportunity
to educate his three young children
who are still with their mother in
Little Rock, Arkansas.
Upon reporting to his local union
in st. Paul for assignment he was
advised that no truck drivers were
needed at the present time. He
was not sure whether this infOrma-
ton was correct and he was some
what bewildered to learn that the
wage scale in this community did
not measure up to the information
he had been given. Someone at
the ] and H cafe advised him that
he should consult the Minneapolis
Urban League which he did.
Because assignments to Gopher
Ordnance Plant are being made
through the st. Paul USES it was
necessary for the st. Paul Urban
League to be called in for counsel.
After extended investigation it was
learned that, as a matter of fact,
truck drivers were not needed at the
present time at the Gopher Ord
nance Plant. Thus Mr.. Graham's
feeling that he was being given the
run around by the local union was
corrected through the efforts OF the
st. Paul Urban League.
Further counseling of Mr.. Ora
ham revealed he had had former ex-
perience in certain types of foundry
work for which there is a high de-
mand in the Twin Cities and in
which capacity employment for him
was found at a wage approximate
ing the rate he had received in
Washington.
The method followed by Mr..
Graham in locating lodging for him
self in Minneapolis is unusual. Hav-
ing had his attention called to the
Twin Cities by personnel represen-
tatives of his former employer he
noted in his Sunday School litera-
ture that there was a Reverend j.
W. Graham residing in Minneapolis
whose initials were the same as
those of his father, but who was
not related to himself. lie wrote to
the Reverend J. W. Graham re-
questing aid in securing lodging
pending the establishment of a
home for himself in the Twin Cities
which aid was Immediately pro-
vided.