The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1950-01-28
Acorns To Oak Trees

With the FEPC bill facing a temporary delay for
sderaton the House. the local need for State fair en-
ployment practices legislation wildly pictured here
last week by Willie Barney.
Barney, who lives at Sill Garfield, does not hold
citizenship in any civic union social organization
He only the rolls of the unemployed Not because
he desires to be, for he has pounding the
since Oct s, ls4s when he was lad-of at Briggs
Conner plant along with hundreds of co-workers.
The % year o. machnist repairman, therefore,
should fairly be familiar with the bias hiring practicesm
the Motor City.
He makes daily trek to the Michigan Unemployment
office 5949 Cass where assignments are made as calls
in for employees Barney says that ne has gone out
TO various plants who have called the unemployment Of
flee for hired help but has been told that there were no
jobs
He revealed that possibly two members
besides himself have applied these plants with some
whites. Invariably, the colored applicants
turned down. while the whites hired, he said.
What gets his goat is the fact that these whites have
repeatedly been in Detroit for only few avs to two
weeks at the most while the members have resided
here himself for years.
The job-seeker. W h also is classified as a sander
welder and polisher stated that these hites usually
establish residence status through notary public An
other practice is the classifying of age, he said.
Insult to injury is experienced, according to Barney
when the whites ready admit that they know nothing
about the job in question They the whites) are usually
hillbllies who have Just come to town, ne explained
And not only they inexperienced but they hardly de-
sire to keep the job for two weeks.
"It's plain of discrimination" he declared.
GIVE been to the Plymouth Motors plant by
the MUG twice, seeking job aborer. Would you be-
lieve that not hired because in the en-
Ironically the machmist-reparm has also into
another type of discrimination within his at Crowley
Miller when applying for Job stockman. They would
not hire because of dark skin Barney related,
All light-complexioned employees"
Another evil in hiring practices is the selling of jobs
which he said has somewhat been corrected for example
at the Motor Products Mack Ave. There used to
gain employment with $50.
THE MUG does not desire go along with say, the
Ford Highland Park plant he revealed "in their white
only hiring policy But what they do about it?
know two MUG employees who have been fair with me
and have stated their disgust of the bias system Coored
work there now, but they not hiring anymore"
Barney also named the Army Service Employees at
Detroit another place where he says onl y whites
are being hired despite trying get work tn for
nearly year.
Born in Pittsburgh Pa the veteran does not hold ami
mostly IN his heart against anyone but he does think that
qualified and experienced worker should be given fair
chance.
Aftera it isn't the color of my skin which makes
the Job weldone, he concluded "but the man who per-
forms it."
We reterate that members of our race a til er
friends should flood the offices of only our Congress
men but those of our State officials with correspondence
In an effort to obtain State FEPC law if not one nation
ally This un-American practice Must Go!