St. Paul recorder., 1961-09-01

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dorsed legislation aimed at elir
apprenticeship programs, while
far-reaching measures are requ
tunity.
There is racial discrimina
tional training programs and W
and do oppose it," Meany declared
in testimony before a House Labor
subcommittee, I'VE want 1t end
ed"
He expressed the hope that an
apprenticeship bill sponsored by
Chairman Adam Clayton Powell
(D-N. " of the House Education
& Labor Committee would be "only
first step" in a legislative attack
on discrimination. The bill would
direct the Labor Dept. to encour-
age opportunities for minority
groups in apprentice training and
bar federal certification Of pro-
grams which discriminate on the
basis of race, creed or color.
The subcommittee, headed by
Rep. James Roosevelt (D-Calif.)
also heard:
. Pres. c. ]. Haggerty OF the
AFL-CIO Building & Construction
Trades Dept, who declared en-
phatically: I'VE support the object
of the bill and we support the
bill"
. A. Philip Randolph, president
of the Sleeping Car Porters who
charged in a statement that trade
union action to end discrimination
in apprentice training has been
SLOW, spotty, fragmentary and
woefully inadequate" said he
was pleased to note" Meany's
support of the Powell bill.
. Labor Dept. witnesses, who
said the department Is in SYM
pathy with the objective of the bill
but doubted that it would be
helpful"
Meany stressed that the first
element" In ending discrimina-
ton is to provide full employ
ment.
"If there aren't enough job
opportunities for the population
as a whole, there obviously won't
be enough for Negroes and other
minority grOups-either as ap-
prentices or anywhere else"
Meany pointed out.
Next, he said, 'is the need for a
national Fair Employment Prac-
tices Act, with full powers Of en-
forcement."
I'VE take the position that If
were going to tackle this evil of
job discrimination, as we should,
we ought to do a thorough job of
it," he added.
Meany said broad fair employ
ment legislation has and will con-
tinue to have the full and ener-
getic support of the AFL-CIO."
But if your committee prefers
. . to concentrate at this time on
the more limited field of appren-
ticeship, we will also support you
on that" he said.
Tracing labor's progress in elm
mating racial barriers in employ
ment, Meany emphasized that "the
initiative in breaking down these
barriers has been, in every case.
exercised by the union"
81 do not know of n single
case in which the employer has
wanted to provide equal OppOr-
tunity against the opposition of
the uniOn," he sadI. "On the
other hand, we have a number
of heartening examples Of vigor-
Gus union action to wipe out
discrimination In this field"
Meany cited positive anti-dis-
elimination steps which have been
taken by a number of state fed
erations, building trades councils
and international unions, but made
clear his belief that progress has
been much too slow and much too
limited in scope"
Pointing to the voluntary struc-
ture of the trade union movement,
he said:
Local unions do resist and
sometimes even reject policies laid
down by the parent organization.
II the action of the local union
arises from the determined convic-
ton of its membership, it is not
easy for a democratic organiza-
ton, like a trade union, to reverse
that action-even if 1t is wrong"
More Vigorous Role Urged
Because of these limitations,
Meany said, and because of the
employers lack of interest in elm
mating job bias, the AFL-CIO
Ubaa consistently urged the federal