TABLE 2.-Number of industrial establishments in the United States by industry group and size of employer, 1959 1 Excludes 23,441 establishments in agricultural services, forestry, and fisheries, and 72,199 nonclassifiable and unclassified establishments. Also excludes establishments in industries not covered by OASI insurance programs such as agriculture, railroads, public schools, and other Government establishments. Source: Pt. 1, U.S. summary, first quarter 1959, "County Business Patterns," U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Table 2 shows that there are approximately 55,000 establishments in the United States employing at least 100 workers. In manufacturing alone there are about 28,000 such establishments. The BAT staff of 240 field representatives is able to call on only a small proportion of these establishments in any year. To supplement the direct contacts of field representatives, the Bureau has encouraged other organizations to engage in promotional activities. BAT has also made use of newspapers, trade journals, and other mass media. These indirect approaches to the promotion of apprenticeship will be discussed below. National industry projects To capitalize on the interest of labor and management organizations at the national level, BAT conducts promotional projects in certain industries, including aircraft manufacturing, tool and die manufacturing masonry construction, carpentry construction, and printing. During the factfinding phase of these projects, information is obtained on the apprenticeship and training programs that are already being conducted and the extent to which additional programs need to be developed. The national organizations sponsoring the project then encourage their local affiliates to take the necessary steps to develop additional apprenticeship and training. BAT also encourages the establishment of training funds, which are usually set up by collective bargaining. Training funds are used to employ apprenticeship coordinators, purchase equipment, conduct completion ceremonies, and finance other apprenticeship and training activities. The Bureau also encourages national level organizations to sponsor apprenticeship contests. The contests give outstanding apprentices an opportunity to demonstrate their skill and knowledge. The competitions stimulate pride in craftsmanship and help acquaint the public with apprenticeship. The Bureau has had considerable success in promoting apprenticeship through the national industry approach. The national industry projects have been especially effective. However, the expenditure of a considerable amount of staff time is involved in conducting these projects. With its existing resources, the Bureau is able to initiate only about two new industry propects each year. Community level promotion In a few communities BAT has been highly successful in working with community organizations in promoting apprenticeship and training. Comprehensive promotional projects have been developed in cooperation with chambers of commerce, Kiwanis Clubs, central labor councils, and other community organizations. Community groups can also often be made interested in promoting pride in craftsmanship and in sponsoring an Apprenticeship Week. Furthermore, these organizations are sometimes willing to assume a continuing responsibility for manpower development and training activities. Community training committees For a description of a community promotional project in Waterville, Maine, see "The Waterville Story," Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, U.S. Department of Labor, 1957. are sometimes established to help employers organize training programs. This may make it possible for a small employer, who would otherwise not have any planned training, to participate in a group training program. In communities that have been disignated redevelopment areas by the Secretary of Commerce, the Bureau works with employers, labor unions, schools, and community organizations in developing training programs under the Area Redevelopment Act. The Bureau is also working with the Office of Emergency Planning in a few communities in developing pilot projects to determine how best to make available the skills of craftsmen and apprentices in time of national emergency. The success that has been experienced in some communities indicates that it would be feasible for the Bureau to make greater use of the community approach. Carrying out the community approach, however, involves close working relations with civic groups, and this requires a great deal of staff time. The size of the field staff is edequate to carry out this approach in only a few communities each year. Use of mass media BAT has from time to time made effective use of newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Additional resources would enable the Bureau to make greater use of such media. Journals published by international unions and trade associations are usually very receptive to articles on apprenticeship. Movies can also be very effective in the promotion of apprenticeship. BAT has occasionally assisted other organizations prepare films and this year the Bureau has undertaken production of a promotional film. Promotional materials occasionally have been mailed to employers and labor unions. This is another area in which additional resources would enable the Bureau to do a more effective job in its promotional activities. VI. BARRIERS TO NEGRO EMPLOYMENT A sizable increase in the volume of apprenticeship in the United States would improve the chances of Negroes to be apprenticed. However, the number of Negroes employed in apprenticeship programs will not be very large until certain barriers are removed. The Apprenticeship openings are given little publicity and Negroes seldom hear of these openings. To help solve this program, a central clearinghouse for information on apprenticeship opportunities might be established in each community. This approach will be tried in Los Angeles and Fresno, Calif., in 1962. pilot program will be operated by the California Department of Employment. The California Division of Apprenticeship Standards and the State department of education will help provide necessary information. To Applicants for apprenticeships are sometimes required to have the endorsement of someone already in the trade for which they would like to be apprenticed. As was previously mentioned, the fact that few Negroes are now employed in some crafts makes such a requirement a difficult obstacle to overcome. encourage sponsors of apprenticeship programs to use objective selection procedures, BAT has developed a chart presentation on selection which is given by field representatives to joint apprenticeship committees and other program sponsors. The Bureau also plans to employ four special representatives to promote the employment of minority groups in apprenticeship. BAT has taken some additional steps to encourage equal opportunities in apprenticeship. Executive Order No. 10925 has been brought to the attention of JAC's, employers, and labor organizations sponsoring apprenticeship programs. Since July 31, 1961, the Bureau has required that an equal opportunity clause be included in apprenticeship programs by companies holding Government contracts; furthermore, all new programs submitted to BAT for registration must contain such a clause." Another obstacle to greater Negro participation in apprenticeship is the fact that not very many Negro youngsters have had the educational background required for apprenticeship. This situation is perpetuated by the reluctance of some school officials to encourage Negroes to prepare for fields in which they fear Negroes have little chance of obtaining employment. There is need for a long-range attack on this problem that will make it possible for members of minority groups to obtain both the required educational qualifications and equal opportunity for entry into apprenticeship. Preapprenticeship programs conducted by secondary schools, in close cooperation with the sponsors of apprenticeship programs, would help to overcome this obstacle. VII. CONCLUSION A substantial expansion of apprenticeship opportunities and elimination of discriminatory practices in the employment of apprentices are urgently needed. A variety of measures to accomplish these ends which can be taken within the framework of existing legislation are summarized below. These measures, however, may not be sufficient. New legislation may be necessary. This paper concludes with a discussion of the general direction such legislation might take. Expansion of apprenticeship opportunities within the framework of existing legislation (1) Greater use of mass media should be made to persuade employers and labor organizations to employ apprentices. Mass media should also be used more effectively to acquaint the public with apprenticeship and the services provided by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training and State Apprenticeship Agencies. (2) Apprenticeship, or some comparable training arrangements, should be developed in additional occupations, including clerical occupations, selling, retailing, or similar occupations in the distributive field. (3) Greater emphasis should be given to the community approach in developing apprenticeship programs. Greater efforts should be made to stimulate pride in craftsmanship by working with community service organizations, chambers of commerce, local trade associations, labor organizations, and other community groups. Areawide committees should be set up in more occupations to sponsor apprenticeship and training. (4) Sponsors of apprenticeship programs should reexamine apprenticeship standards to find what adjustments might be made to encourage the expansion of apprenticeship. This appraisal should include a review of the apprentices wage scale, content of related instructions, the journeyman-apprentice ratio, and the term of apprenticeship in relation to the age of apprentices. Promoting equal apprenticeship opportunity within the framework of existing legislation (1) Additional staff members should be assigned to the promotion of equal employment opportunities in apprenticeship. BAT staff members should be selected for such assignments without regard to race. Closer relationship should be established with the NAACP, Urban League, and other organizations interested in intergroup relations. (2) Sponsors of apprenticeship programs should establish closer relations with secondary schools. Sponsors of apprenticeship programs should be encouraged to hire on the basis of merit a considerable proportion of their beginning apprentices from the graduating classes of high schools in the community. (3) Greater emphasis should be given to improving the selection techniques employed by sponsors of apprenticeship programs. Program sponsors should be encouraged to make greater use of the aptitude tests and other services provided by the public employment service. The feasibility of establishing in each community a central clearinghouse for information on apprenticeship opportunities should be explored. (4) More research should be done by BAT in the participation of Negroes in apprenticeship programs. Factors that influence the extent of Negro participation should be highlighted in such studies. (5) Qualified members of minority groups should be encouraged to apply for professional and technical positions in the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. Need for new legislation Although much can be done on the basis of existing legislation to expand apprenticeship and promote equal apprenticeship opportunities, it may be necessary to enact new laws before substantial progress can be made in this field. Some of the directions that new legislation might take are outlined below. 1. Government contracts.—Require employers receiving Government contracts to provide apprenticeship and training programs for their employees. 2. Subsidies.-Have the Federal Government undertake to pay a portion of the apprentices' wages, provided that certain criteria were met. It might also be feasible to reimburse employers or provide tax incentives to offset at least some of the expenses involved in conducting an apprenticeship program. 3. Apprentice training centers. Provide training in the skilled crafts at training centers operated by the Federal Government, in cooperation with management and labor. 4. Legislative inquiry.-Establish a legislative commission to study problems involved in developing apprenticeship in the United States. Hon. JAMES ROOSEVELT, SACRAMENTO, CALIF., January 19, 1962. Member of Congress, Special Subcommittee on Labor, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.: I am grateful for this opportunity to augment my statement of last October 27 before this committee on behalf of the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Act. As I said then in Los Angeles, this legislation has my hearty and unqualified support. It is absolutely vital to the welfare and security of this Nation. There is no question here of an untried experimental pioneering statute such as the Congress must consider from time to time. Fair employment law is today on the books of 20 States and a number of cities. In most of these jurisdictions the laws have been operative a decade, or longer. There has been ample time to observe, test, and evaluate—in the East, the Midwest and the Far West. The main conclusions are clear. First, fair employment legislation works. It accomplishes significantly the purposes for which it is established. In California, as in the other States and cities with similar legislation, the existence of the law, with its procedures of conference and conciliation, its provision of an administering agency, and its concurrent emphasis on a program of education to reduce discriminations, has established a standard of conduct in private and public enterprise and an instrumentality to bring about adherence to that standard. The effects in hiring and upgrading by employers, placements by employment agencies, and admission and dispatching by unions, are already evident in our State. Many employers both private and public have benefited by hiring the first minority employees they have ever had in their work force, or the first in administrative or supervisory positions. The consequences for minority workers, their families and communities are the highest radiation of our democracy. Secondly, the typical fears and anxieties of opponents of fair employment legislation are groundless. The safeguards in the State and city enactments similar to those in the proposed Federal law, prevent abuse of powers. Employers, employment agencies, unions and individual workers learn the provisions of the law and as law-abiding persons and institutions revise their procedures when necessary. We believe that our fair employment practice act in California has been fairly administered and has begun to produce the desired results in terms of lowering racial and ethnic barriers to equal opportunity in employment. In general, its reception by the business community by management and labor alike, has been encouraging. I commend the committee for its careful work in preparing the Federal bill so that State and municipal agencies may continue their important activity in this field. Such work would be strengthened greatly by the proposed Federal Commission. The hour is already late. Our Nation too long has denied itself the benefits which will flow from such a law-benefits in the form of sound business practice, full manpower utilization, reduction of intergroup tensions, and a healthy recognition of the abilities and potentialities of adult and young people in every segment of the population. Full utilization of human ability and desire without regard to ethnic origin is an implicit principle of a free and democratic people. Further, healthy nations tap all resources in the struggle for continued growth and progress. There is no more important measure on which this Congress could act. I respectfully urge its prompt consideration and early enactment. Sincerely, EDMUND G. BROWN, Hon. JAMES ROOSEVELT, Chairman, Special Subcommittee on Labor, CHICAGO, ILL., January 18, 1962. U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.: During the past 16 years Chicago, with its own city fair employment ordinance, has learned to appreciate the value of legislation to end racial and religious discrimination in employment. In 1961 the State of Illinois enacted similar legislation to cover the State. We believe that Federal legislation to establish merit employment at all levels is necessary to complement our efforts on the city and State levels. We therefore urge Congress to pass Federal fair employment legislation. We also recognize the fine work that is now being done by the President's Committee for Equal Employment Opportunity. We have seen the effectiveness of its work among Federal agencies in our area in improving hiring practices. Furthermore, the Committeee has done excellent work with Federal contractors in persuading them to hire without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin. This is a wise use of Executive authority to accomplish fair employment. Cooperation between city, State, and Federal Governments to insure merit employment is especially necessary in the sixties as automation continues to change the composition of the Nation's work force. An increasing number of our citizens will have to find employment in new jobs. Mayor RICHARD J. DALY. NATIONAL CATHOLIC CONFERENCE FOR INTERRACIAL JUSTICE, Hon. JAMES ROOSEVELT, DEAR MR. ROOSEVELT: The National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice, composed of 45 Catholic interracial councils in all parts of the country, wishes to go on record in favor of the proposed fair employment practices legislation. We do not believe that the problem of merit employment can be adequately or permanently met by a Presidential Executive order. Basic permanent legislation, affecting both management and labor, is required at this time. It is our view that fair employment legislation is mandatory because about 75 percent of the work force in the United States does not come under the influence or protection of organized labor. Although much has been accomplished by labor organizations to improve the lot of the working man and woman, there still remains a vast area of human need which requires immediate congressional action. We would greatly appreciate it if this statement of the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice is incorporated in the record of your Special Subcommittee on Labor of the House Education and Labor Committee. Sincerely yours, JOHN J. O'CONNOR, Chairman. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE, Hon. JAMES ROOSEVELT, Chairman, Special Subcommittee on Labor, January 22, 1962. DEAR CONGRESSMAN ROOSEVELT: When Mr. Herbert Hill, labor secretary of the NAACP, testified on January 15 before your subcommittee, on the proposed Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Act, he asked and received permission for the association to submit additional views based on an analysis of the proposed legislation. Attached hereto is a memorandum setting forth these views. Sincerely yours, J. FRANCIS POHLHAUS, Counsel, Washington Bureau. |