Evening star., 1945-01-11

{
of an unannounced strike caus
motion OF colored street railway
tor and motorman. The Army
two weeks, turned it back to th
Today the surface cars, subws
smoothly about their tremendo,
trouble.
What happened in the mon
| A Star reporter wondered as
and conflicting circumstances tha
surrounded the strike. He sough
answers to these questions, appar
entity forgotten publicly here as else
where in the rush of other news:
What happened to the eight Ncrr,
employees whose impending upgrad
ing was the avowed excuse for tn
strike? Were they actually up
graded and are they still at work
Were others of their race promoted
How was the grievance that flaret
into so much trouble last summe
settled2
Seven in Operative Jobs.
The company did upgrade TIL
eight men, carrying out a directiv,
by the Presidents Committee or
Fair Employment Practice, Regior
III. Seven OF the eight are working
regularly or operative jobs.
The eighth, Frederick Todd, qui
about the time some 5000 absentet
employees returned to work. He sait
he was a minister for Jehovah.
Witnesses and found that work. #
on the street cars interfered with hi!
misisterial duties.
The other seven, who are operat.
ing surface cars or collecting fares
have been joined in these bette;
positions by number of other col.
ored employees. There are, alto.
gether, 18 holding down platform
jobs, as they are known. Before
the strike, no colored employe hal
ever worked as motorman or con.
ductor.
In addition, 26 others of theiI
race have mechanical jobs hitherto
restricted to white workers. These
also are among the better paying
more desirable places.
Two Made Foremen.
Two other colored employees have
become supervisors in the way de.
partment. They are foremen, eacf
in charge of a group Of worker.
maintaining tracks and equipment
The 46 employees who have beer
promoted since last summers Incl.
dent" are, indeed, a small numbe,
of the 10847 employees of the Phila.
delphia Transportation Co.
But the company employees 20.
tai of approximately 900 coloret
persons, most of them in the main:
tenanee division, Is labdrras and
repair ssnen. This is an estimate
There may be more todaE FEPC
1was toldfecently that the company
no longer breaks down its employ.
ment on racial basis, but hires all
needed workers referred to it by the
United States Employment Service
in compliance with manpower regu-
lations. The report on promotions
however, is accurate and up to date
OF the total, white and colored
employed by the utility, some 6,0O(
work in the transportation division
around 1000 more in the mainte-
nance division and the rest art
office workers. These are only ap.
proximate figures, for the picture
changes, to an extent, from weei
to week. "
Company Blamed.
1t had been contended, before ths
strike, that the p. T. G. was refus.
ing to relieve an extremely tight
labor situation by placing coloret
men on platform jobs In fact, 6
certain number of these worker:
had been referred to the COMPANY
by USES, and it was the allegee
failure of the company to utiliz.
them as conductors and motormer
that led the War Manpower Com.
mission to step in after an earle,
FEPC directive had been ignored
The company agreed, before tn,
5000 white employees stopped work
to comply with all Federal directive.
on the subject and remove an,
racial discrimination which had ex.
listed.
The reporter wondered naturally
whether the company had carried
out this promise. If SO, why were
not more colored motormen anc
conductors at work?
The company says it has upgradet
needed colored employees who ap.
piled and were found eligible .ant
qualified men sent by USES as the,
were required. It has, 1t reported
recently to FEPC, manned crews o.
cars and buses, as these places wert
available, without considering
creed, race or color"
Few Idle Negroes. -
If more colored persons were no
promoted or employed, ofacials said
lit was because they were not mad,
available to the company. This as,
sertion is backed up, at least to ,
large extent, by both FEPC ans
VINO. They concede that Phila'
delphia's labcr-critical area con
tains very few unemployed Negroes
Nor, admittedly, has the breaking
down of the racial barrier which
formerly barred colored employs
from platform jobs, solved the Phil
adelphia Transportation Co.'S labo
problem. Although the compan,
has issued no statements on tn
subject recently, it is known to b
having a hard time finding enough
employes to meet approximat,
needs. Streetcars and buses ar,
jammed much OF the time, as the,
tare in other war-industry centers
and no doubt more OF them woul,
be run II there were more men Il
operate them.
Some women are employed in th,
Transportation division, most O
them as conductors. These an
white women. So far Is could b,
learned, no colored women have ap
Piled for these jobs.
Few Applications.
Contrary to what might have beel
supposed, there was no rush of appli
cations for platform jobs from tn