Atlanta Daily World

FEPC CONSIDERS POLICY ON LAYOFFS OF NEGROES
WASHINGTON-(A N P, -Exploratory conversations were begun at the offices of the FEPC last week looking to the establishment of a policy to be pursued toward restraining disproportionate lay-offs among Negro war workers due to cutbacks and the introduction of reconversion programs. These informal talks. it is learned unofficially, have not yet gone outside of the agency. but ultimately will be extended to include the viewpoints of other agencies which might conceivably have a finger in the matter, notably the War Manpower commission, the war and navy departments, and perhaps the U . S. Maritime commission. FEPC is keenly aware of the saying that the Negro is generally the last hired and the first fired Because this happens to be the demonstrated case in their own experience. the agency would like some way of altering this tradition and thereby aid Negroes in retaining some of the industrial gains which have been made in the period of the war DIFFICULT PROBLEM One of the ideas advanced at the initial discussions was one which would call upon employers to observe certain agreed quotas in the matter of lay-offs. For example. whereas Negroes may have come into the employ relatively late and so have little seniority. some basis might be found for retaining a number of these workers irrespective of seniority Obviously this is an approach which would have to have the sanction of labor unions s which in many instances control or "police" hirings and firings of all workers. The problem was also recognized that under such a quota arrange-
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FEPC Considers
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...mont, other "interest" groups might use the plan as a precedent and push their own claims for "special treatment." Further, because general quotas for the hiring of Negroes were originally deplored and frowned upon, it might well be cause for wonder as to how FEPC could reconcile its acceptance of a quota basis in one instance and reject it in another

CONSIDER "REABSORPTION"
An unofficial spokesman for the committee also pointed out that the War Production board might well play an important part even now. The suggestion was made that WPB might take into account when it is about to force employment cutbacks due to contract cancellations, the "reabsorption" qualities of the workers layed off as a factor in determining the final action Specifically, where it is fairly obvious that Negroes in a given area are holding jobs won at great expenditure of effort are to be the chief victims of a cut-back because of the reluctance, and in cases the, opposition, of other employers to absorb them, such cutbacks ought not be made except as a final alternative

The observation was also made that labor turnover may prove an important factor. Whereas turn-over among whites has been relatively high, Negroes who have gotten war jobs have held onto them The result is that their seniority has become higher due to replacements which have come in behind them