The union times., 1947-03-29
NEW ATTITUDES


 NEW ATTITUDES
 In order to do this, several meas- ures had to be taken. Attitudes of discrimination in employment. which had been developing for many years, discouraged many pO- tential workers from seeking em- plOyment, or operated 10 turn them away from jobs that were waiting to be filled. The fact of discrimina- ton was widespread enough so that the Federal government found it necessary to set up a Fair Employ ment Practices Commission to can- eel out these discriminatory attic tudes, where they existed, and to assure workers that they would be welcomed by industry regardless of race, color, creed or nationality.
 The end of the war impelled many to believe that there was no longer any need for laws relating to fair employment practices and the Federal act was therefore abolished. However, tremendous continuing sentiment has developed for a peacetime exten- ton of the FEPC, in the form of either state or national legislation
 GAIN FOR EMPLOYERS
 This sentiment has it's origin in the fact that discriminatory practices con- tinue to be exercised in industrial em- ployment, widespread enough to stimu- late a public demand for curbing leg islation. The wartime experience un- der FEPC illustrates that the princi- pie of equal employment opportunity to all pays off dividends to employers by promoting a much wider and more efficient utilization of labor.
 The chief advantages of a state FEPC are the following:
 l. The most pressing need of American economy today is to SUD- ply the terrific consumer demand, within and without the country. One of the chief factors retarding the full operation of our prOduc- tive capacity is the lack of many types of labor. By breaking down discriminatory job practices, an FEPC would broaden the labor mar ket and bring into it many who are now either banned from employ ment or discouraged from seeking jobs because of the fear of being discriminated against.
 2. Discriminatory practices exist in many phases of supervisory personnel and operate to hold back the most efficient utilization of personnel A supervisor may refrain from adyanc- ing worker to more skilled posi- tion, one that would benefit the com pany as we'll as the worker, by req son of not liking his religion or the color of his skin, etc. This is bad personnel relations and, even worse, from the point of view of efficient plant management, often results in the wrong person in the wrong job.
 CREATES SENSE OF UNITY
 3. A strong contributory cause to social and economic unrest in the coun- try IS the often exaggerated accent on differences of race color, creed or na- tional origin. In periods of stress, such as we are living through now, these differences tend to be emphasized es- pecially by groups whose creedS are undemocratic and tyrannical, such as the xxx, the Columbians, etc The practice of equal opportunity in ern- ployment, fortified by state or federal law, would do much to dissolve these differences and create a sense of unity which would work for industrial peace and wel1-being.
 4. America is still the tradi- tiOnal land of the melting pot. De- spite the end of mass immigration many years ago, many national mi- nOrities continue to maintain cul- tural customs brought over from the lands of their origin. Preju- dices which exist against these groups should be eliminated, and these people must be given conn plete equality of opportunity in and advancement. Fair legislation would acc this and would give these a sense of being pro- tected in the exercise of their rights and privileges as citizens despite their national origin :. or perhaps precisely because of their national origins it would reafirm their rights.
 Fair employment legislation is no The existence of federal act during the war and the more re- cent New York law supply us with abundant experience concerning the value of such legislation. Already men tioned is the fact that during the war the Federal act operated to increase the labor force, by ending discrinina- ton, and to develop a better utiliza- ton of labor. For example. many enl-
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