The Detroit tribune., 1963-11-23

s"V large building
trades locals here in New York
City, with a total membership of
about 4,500, and no Negro mem
Ders. A question exists as 10
whether another local with n
membership of $500 has anv
Negro members. There are com.
parable situations i'm most other
cities. The very different kind of
record in other building trades
locals does not answer the fair
cnarge that in too many locals
the announced policy of this De-
partment and the international
Unions is not reality in fact
"A survey conducted earlier
this year of Federal construction
projects in so cities showed that
vn most of these projects there
were no Negroes employed. eli
ther as journeymen or as appren-
tlces. in a majority of the skill.
ed trades.
1T Is no answer TO this that a
comparable situation exists in
skilled occupations in other in
dustries. We face, as a nation
the obligation TO correct and
acknowledged wrong: and a clear
consensus has been reached that
we are going. to do it.
The important questions are
OF ways and means.
"Scme proposed short cuts are.
as most of us view it, wrong.
1T is clear that quotas are
wrong. No one in Government
has proposed them.
1T is clear that the opening of
trades and apprenticcships pro-
grams to all alike, without regard
to their race, in no way implies
or warrants reducing the skill
leVciS OF the crafts.
There is argument about
whether preferential hiring Of
Negroes, to counter-act the effect
OF previous discrimination
against them. is now in order. |
think it is not if for no other
reason than that such a policy
will, as practical matter, create
opposition which will retard the
overall process.
But | am equally clear that
where there are apprenticeship
lists that contain no Negro names
because they knew they didn't
have chance. those lists should
be opened up on a fair basis.
The arguement that il is "just
too bad if Negroes didn't apply,
is not fair argument. And the
claim that this will prevent the
following of fafhcr-and-son prac-
tices that have justification we
all recognize is false argument
for there are few if any situa-
tions in which the necessary adj
justments cannot be made TO
serve all interests involved il
there is the sincere purpose TO
do so.
There has been the sugges-
ton that the Governments pro.
gram for promoting sound ap-
premiership systems cannot prop
erlv he used to foster nondis-
criminatory programs and there
is criticism of the insistence that
Federal construction projects be
carried out on an equal oppor-
tuniiy basis Yet it must be rec
ognized not only as a matter of
law but of fundamental principle
agent Of all Americans and can
that the Government is the
not properly favor any above
any others.
Il want to return. finally. TO
the earlier suggestion that there
is close relationship between
fair employment and full em-
ployment" | think there would
be in this country today almost
complete accentance in practice
of the fair employment principle
if there we're in fact full en-
ployment.
1T NAV well be that the pres
cnt problem is substantially mis-
stated when we put il in terms
of racial discrimination. I have
the strong impression that there
are today very few Americans
some. but very few who OBJ
ject to working with someone of
a different race. II is not that an
American worker saws TODAY Il