Page images
PDF
EPUB

A lot of personal, professional and corporate interests are now under the gun of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, with expected pressures due to be exerted. But, as an observer at the hearing commented, "There's a pressure group in South Central and East Los Angeles, too," referring to the Negro and MexicanAmerican community.

Among those who testified were Anthony J. Frederick, v-p of Universal City; Josef Bernay, international representative of the IATSE; Arthur Schaeffer, industrial relations manager of Labor Relations, Warner-Seven Arts; Frank Ferguson, resident counsel of 20th-Fox; Bonar Dyer, v-p of personnel, Walt Disney Productions; and Charles Boren, executive v-p of the MPTPA.

On behalf of the commission were Clifford Alexander Jr., chairman, Daniel Steiner, general counsel, Dr. Luther Holcomb, vice-chairman, Elizabeth Kuck, commissioner, William Brown, chairman, and Vincente Ximenes.

Certain questions directed to all of the studio representatives brought like answers. Asked, "Are there any written affirmative action plans for recruiting and hiring minority members?" All answered: "No."

All of the studios said that transportation for minority members has been one of the biggest hindrances. During 20th-Fox's summer program it provided transportation. Under questioning, all of the representatives admitted that to their knowledge there had never been any blacks or Mexican-Americans on any studio board of directors or in any policy-making position.

Especially under attack were the craft unions. Bernay opened with a statement that, "as far as our unions are concerned there are no practices of discrimina. tion." He also stated that there was no nepotism.

However, Steiner, referring to the union application form, asked:

"Why does one of the questions on the application ask, 'what type of vocation did your father or guardian pursue'" and another question asked, 'Are you foreign born?'"

Bernay stated that he did not know. Asked if this question of foreign birth could be deleted from the application, Bernay stated that he would bring it up at the next meeting.

Although Bernay stated that the local unions have complete autonomy, it was brought out that the International Union must vote on all membership. Steiner pointed to one union that had 4000 members, eight of whom were Negroes and 51 Mexican-Americans. Another union had a total membership of 1000 in which there was only one Negro and 50 Mexican-Americans.

Leading the studios in minority group employment was Universal.

Schaefer, questioned about whether Warners' employment record mirrored the American spectrum, said:

"I think it merits improvement, but we have trouble finding minority people." Asked if he had any contact with the Urban League, Schaefer stated "I have gone to a number of lunches."

Steiner asked him if he thought Warners' record was "pretty dismal" in this area, Schaefer said, “in comparison to Universal's."

(F) LIGHT TRAINING

It was brought out at yesterday's EEOC hearings, investigating the movie industry, that it takes 2100 hours to train a lamp operator and 1500 hours to train a flight operator for the U.S. Armed Services.

In the areas where the studios can hire directly without going through the unions, such as data operators, commissioner Kucks asked Fredericks why the studios were lagging behind. Fredericks said, "We are receiving competition from the aerospace and other industries." He also stated that after a recent fire on the Universal backlot they had looked for carpenters and plasterers from the downtown area and could find none.

The representative from Disney, under questioning said that from a total of about 800 or 900 employees in white collar jobs that there were 26 MexicanAmericans and nine blacks. Dyer, in his opening statement, said, "Walt Disney was a strong believer that race, color or creed was no barrier to artistic and creative talent." He then asked:

"Why have 41 years passed since the conception of the company in 1928 without finding minority people in responsible positions?"

Dyer said they had been unable to find them.

[From the Los Angeles Times, Saturday, Mar. 15, 1969]

U.S. HEARING ASSAILS NETWORKS ON MINORITY HIRING PRACTICES

TV PORTRAYALS OF BLACKS, MEXICAN-AMERICANS ALSO DRAW FIRE FROM EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSIONERS

(By Jack Jones)

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members Friday were harshly critical of network television policies on hiring and portrayal of minority groups. Despite much testimony by spokesmen for CBS, NBC and ABC about employment and training efforts and about black television performers, commissioners zeroed in on specific job figures and were openly dissatisfied.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said EEOC Chairman Clifford L. Alexander Jr., at the end of three days of hearings, "you have heard from the three networks who bring you the news."

He pointed out none has had a "black or a brown vice president." He noted that there were many protests about the problems of hiring from minority communities at all levels, but that relatively few minority people have been hired.

He called the attitude of the networks "callous" and said there seems to have been little improvement since the EEOC quizzed network executives in New York City 15 months ago.

"LAW OF THE LAND"

"I would remind those three networks," said Alexander, "that equal opportunity is the law of the land, and we are telling you that you are potential lawbreakers."

But Alexander said the absence of the union roster system, like that used by the movie industry, left the EEOC without the same legal ammunition it found in deciding to ask for a Justice Department suit against movie makers and craft unions.

"We'll go over the transcript of these hearings, however," he said, “and you'll be hearing from us."

Testifying were Perry Lafferty, CBS vice president of programs, Hollywood; Herbert Schlosser, NBC vice president of programs. West Coast; Oscar C. Turner, NBC West Coast personnel director; H. R. Guillotte, NBC labor relations executive, and James G. Riddell, ABC vice president, western division.

Riddell came in for some of the most incisive questioning after referring to ABC's "aggressive recruitment" and "favorable numbers."

Commissioner William H. Brown III elicited the information that of 146 managers, ABC has one black and no Mexican-Americans, that of 140 professionals it has one black and one Mexican-American and that of 307 technicians it has two blacks and three Mexican-Americans.

"Mr. Riddle," Brown asked acidly, "are these the figures you're so proud of?"

Lafferty of CBS said his network is constantly in touch with producers of TV films to make certain minority persons are shown in favorable roles to balance those shows in which they play heavies.

But recent concentration on black "good guy" did not seem to extend to the Mexican-American community as far as the commissioner could see.

Commissioner Vicente T. Ximenes expressed particular distaste for portrayals showing Mexicans "as lazy, with sombreros . . ." and wanted to know if Lafferty thought the Frito Bandido cartoon commercials constitute "the proper type of advertising in TV."

Lafferty responded that he didn't think that commercial reflects overt insensitivity, but he agreed that an advertising agency should refrain from using anything that offends anyone.

Schlosser cited NBC's many programs featuring black performers-Bill Cosby in "I Spy," Diahann Carroll in "Julia," and others—and emphasized that since 1968 more than 200 minority group actors have had good speaking parts.

But, like the others, he was quickly asked about the number of blacks and browns working at white-collar jobs at the network and was unable to count more than a few.

"How can you put on all those documentaries (about minority problems) when you don't have any minority employes?" Alexander demanded.

Schlosser said, "We are really making this effort. It seems to me we've done a great deal over the last two years-especially regarding black people."

Earlier in the day, the commissioners heard from Thomas DeVore, personnel vice president of Occidental Life Insurance Co.; M. D. McDermott, personnel vice president of Bank of America, and Joseph R. Curtis, senior vice president of Security Pacific National Bank.

They were generally pleased with what they heard from Occidental-that 39% of its staff are minority personnel-but less impressed with the accomplishments of the banks.

In the case of Bank of America, they were distressed by what they saw as a reluctance to put black or brown branch managers into all-white areas.

As for Security Pacific, Ximenes listened to Curtis' recital of difficulties in recruiting from college campuses and said, "I don't think that the companies sending recruiters out are really looking for minorities."

In view of the fact that Security Pacific could report no blacks and only two Spanish-surname Americans among 150 vice presidents and officers, Alexander asked Curtis :

"What advice would you give the black and brown people in this audience to tell their children who might want to go into banking as a career?" Curtis said, "We're trying."

[From the New York Times, Mar. 15, 1969]

PANEL SCORES BIAS IN TV HIRING POLICIES ON COAST-3 MAJOR NETWORKS PROMISE U.S. COMMISSION MORE JOBS FOR MINORITIES (By Roy Reed)

LOS ANGELES, March 14-Officials of the three major television networks took their turn today answering questions on their minority hiring policies. The Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission called in representatives of the National Broadcasting Company, the Columbia Broadcasting System and the American Broadcasting Company and publicly criticized their “discouraging" effort in hiring minorities, especially Negroes and Mexican-Americans.

The television officials for the most part acknowledged that they had not done as well as they should. All promised to do better and said they had already taken steps to do so.

The commission made public figures showing that 4.5 per cent of the networks' employees in the Los Angeles area, where all three have major installations, were Negroes or Mexican-Americans, even though those two minority groups make up 20 per cent of the Los Angeles area population.

Minority employment in television is somewhat lower than in the two other major industries, aerospace and motion pictures, examined by the commission here this week.

The commission a year ago went to New York and looked into minority hiring in a number of the area's businesses, including newspapers. The record uncovered there was comparable to the one found here.

With the networks, the commission reverted today, the last day of its Los Angeles hearings, to its tactic of public pressure. Yesterday, in dealing with apparently more overt discriminatory practices in the motion picture industry, the agency voted to ask the Justice Department to file civil rights lawsuits to stop the practices.

Public pressure and persuasion are the commission's chief weapons. It can obtain conciliation agreements with businesses and unions, but it has no enforcement power to require recalcitrant companies or unions to comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment and in other

areas.

Negro and Mexican-American leaders, meeting with the commission after today's hearing, complained bitterly of Congress's failure to give enforcement power to the commission.

The commission has had limited success in opening up jobs through pressure and persuasion. Mr. Clifford L. Alexander Jr., the chairman, and other commissioners speak impatiently of their shackled authority.

Other Government agencies have more power to move against job discrimination.

The Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance is empowered to cut off contracts with companies doing business with the Government if the companies discriminate. It has never done so.

The Justice Department has had a somewhat greater impact, in spite of a slow start after passage of the 1964 law.

The department did not give much attention to employment discrimination until late 1967. It has filed 41 lawsuits against businesses and unions, most of them during the last 18 months. Twelve have been resolved, with varying degrees of

success.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 10925

ESTABLISHING THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Whereas discrimination because of race, creed, color, or national origin is contrarv to the Constitutional principles and policies of the United States; and Whereas it is the plain and positive obligation of the United States Government to promote and ensure equal opportunity for all qualified persons, without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin, employed or seeking employment with the Federal Government and on government contracts; and

Whereas it is the policy of the executive branch of the Government to encourage by positive measures equal opportunity for all qualified persons within the Government; and

Whereas it is in the general interest and welfare of the United States to promote its economy, security, and national defense through the most efficient and effective utilization of all available manpower; and

Whereas a review and analysis of existing Executive orders, practices, and government agency procedures relating to government employment and compliance with existing non-discrimination contract provisions reveal an urgent need for expansion and strengthening of efforts to promote fully equality of employment opportunity; and

Whereas a single governmental committee should be charged with responsibility for accomplishing these objectives:

Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and statutes of the United States, it is ordered as follows:

PART I-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

SECTION 101. There is hereby esablished the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity.

SEC. 102. The Committee shall be composed as follows:

(a) The Vice President of the United States, who is hereby designated Chairman of the Committee and who shall preside at meetings of the Committee. (b) The Secretary of Labor, who is hereby designated Vice Chairman of the Committee and who shall act as Chairman in the absence of the Chairman. The Vice Chairman shall have general supervision and direction of the work of the Committee and of the execution and implementation of the policies and purposes of this order.

(c) The Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Secretary of Commerce, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Administrator of General Services, the Choirman of the Civil Service Commission, and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Each such member may designate an alternate to represent him in his absence.

(d) Such other members as the President may from time to time appoint. (e) An Executive Vice Chairman, designated by the President, who shall be ex officio a member of the Committee. The Executive Vice Chairman shall assist the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and the Committee. Between meetings of the Committee he shall be primarily responsible for carrying out the functions of the Committee and may act for the Committee pursuant to its rules, delegations, and other directives. Final action in individual cases or classes of cases may be taken and final orders may be entered on behalf of the Committee by the Executive Vice Chairman when the Committee so authorizes.

SEC. 103. The Committee shall meet upon the call of the Chairman and at such other times as may be provided by its rules and regulations. It shall (a) consider and adopt rules and regulations to govern its proceedings; (b) provide generally for the procedures and policies to implement this order; (c) consider reports as to progress under this order; (d) consider and act, where necessary or appropriate, upon matters which may be presented to it by any of its members; and (e) make such reports to the President as he may require or the Committee shall deem appropriate. Such reports shall be made at least once annually and shall include specific references to the actions taken and results achieved by each department and agency. The Chairman may appoint subcommittees to make special studies on a continuing basis.

PART II-NONDISCRIMINATION IN GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT

SECTION 201. The President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity established by this order is directed immediately to scrutinize and study employment practices of the Government of the United States, and to consider and recommend additional affirmative steps which should be taken by executive departments and agencies to realize more fully the national policy of nondiscrimination within the executive branch of the Government.

SEC. 202. All executive departments and agencies are directed to initiate forthwith studies of current government employment practices within their responsibility. The studies shall be in such form as the Committee may prescribe and shall include statistics on current employment patterns, a review of current procedures, and the recommendation of positive measures for the elimination of any discrimination, direct or indirect, which now exists. Reports and recommendations shall be submitted to the Executive Vice Chairman of the Committee no later than sixty days from the effective date of this order, and the Committee, after considering such reports and recommendations, shall report to the President on the current situation and recommended positive measures to accomplish the objectives of this order.

SEC. 203. The policy expressed in Executive Order No. 10500 of January 18, 1955 (20 F.R. 409), with respect to the exclusion and prohibition of discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment in the Federal Government because of race, color, religion, or national origin is hereby reaffirmed. SEC. 204. The President's Committee on Government Employment Policy, established by Executive Order No. 10500 of January 18, 1955 (20 F.R. 409), as amended by Executive Order No. 10721 of August 5, 1957 (22 F.R. 5287), is hereby abolished, and the powers, functions, and duties of that Committee are hereby transferred to, and henceforth shall be vested in, and exercised by the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity in addition to the powers conferred by this order.

PART III-OBLIGATION OF GOVERNMENT, CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS

SUBPART A-CONTRACTORS' AGREEMENTS

SECTION 301. Except in contracts exempted in accordance with section 203 of this order, all government contracting agencies shall include in every government contract hereafter entered into the following provisions:

"In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the contractor agrees as follows:

"(1) The contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin. The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer, recruitment, or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training including apprenticeship. The contractor agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices to be provided by the contracting officer setting forth the provisions of this non-discrimination clause.

"(2) The contractor will, in all notifications or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of the contractor, state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin.

« PreviousContinue »