St. Paul recorder., 1963-08-22

IL 10 III uC IlldI 1ldIly Du1dll
contrast to many other unions
which have integrated membership
with Negroes holding down skilled
jobs.
But, at least in their public COM
ments, union officials and white
workers insist racial prejudice has
nothing to do with their opposi-
ton to Negro job gains Rather,
they say they object only when
they think Negroes are advancing
by taking jobs from better quail
flied whites.
This is the charge made in the
squabble stemming from the re-
cent promotion Of three Negro
Post Office employees in Dallas
10 supervisory jobs. Defending the
promotion, Samuel M. Ray, deputy
director of the Dallas region for
the Civil Service Commission, says
the men were promoted because
there had never been a Negro
supervisor In the Dallas Post Of
flee" Mr.. Ray adds that the pro-
motions were an 'implementation"
Of the Administration equal en-
ployment opportunity program and
that the Negroes were qualified
for the posts.
But the locals Of two postal
unions see things differently. I'm
der the Post Offices merit prom
otion plan, employees qualified for
promotion are ranked according to
exam scores, seniority and an eval-
uation by their immediate super
iors. Postmasters are supposed to
choose from the top nine men on
the list for promotion but may ask
Washington for approval to go
outside these nine. The controver-
sial Dallas promotion list contained
400 names. The top-ranked Of the
three promoted Negroes was num-
Der 54 on the list, according to a
Government official, and union Of
ficials say the other two ranked
25Oth and 294th.
Union Plans Suit
David H. Vandevort, an officer
Of the Postal Clerks Union local in
Dallas, claims the promotions
violated the Post Offices own pro-
hibitions against racial discrimin-
alton. The clerks say they intend
to protest the promotions in court,
A subcommittee of the House Post
Office and Civil Service Commit
tee plans to look into the promo
lions.
In many instances, Of course,
membership in a union is the key
qualification" for a job, and white
union members may object strenu-
ously when non-union Negroes try
to move into their field. In such
situations, the employer may find
himself caught in the middle. Con-
slider the Cleveland dispute which
pitted white union plum b e r s
against non-union Negro plumbers.
The two Negroes, both Journey
men plumbers, were hired July %
by the plumbing contractor for
$40 million expansion Of the city's
public auditorium. The contractor
employed the Negroes in fulfill
ment of an agreement with the
United Freedom Movement, an
organization of Cleveland civil
rights groups that had threatened
to picket the construction site un-
less Negroes were given jobs.
About 500 of Cleveland's 1,4OO
union plumbers - all white - re-
sponded by walking off their jobs
July 20, disrupting work on the
auditorium and other major con-
strIlction jobs. George Hill Fink,
secretary-treasurer Of Plumbers
Union local 55 in Cleveland, says
the union men felt the Negroes
deprived white men of jobs which
they earn by going through the
procedure required in our const-
tuition"
He says in the past Negroes
have applied for apprenticeship
status, but they didn't return and
we assumed they were discouraged
by the low pay and long waiting
period" Apprenticeship applicants
must take a test, and Mr.. Fink
notes the tests are only given
when there are enough" candi-
dates and not "for a special few"
Accord Reached
Most Of the disgruntled white
plumbers stayed off their jobs
only briefly, but those employed
on the auditorium project didn't
return till the start Of last week.
They went back to work after
union and civil rights leaders,
meeting with Cleveland Mayor
Ralph Locher and US. Undersec-
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