Series of Booklets on Employment Conditions

THE Veterans Administration and the Department of Labor have begun publication of a new series of nine regional booklets giving information on employment conditions by region, State, and city.

The pamphlets-based on 1950 Census reports supplemented by more current facts supplied by the Labor Department-were prepared primarily for VA's use in the counseling and training of veterans under the Korean GI bill and Public Law 16 for the disabled. But VA and the Labor Department believe they also should be helpful to schools giving courses in occupations or offering vocational counseling to students, to personnel workers as an aid in recruitment and placement, to civic organizations planning industrial and commercial development programs, and to many others.

To be most effective the booklets should be used against the backdrop of general, nationwide occupational outlook information, such as that found in the OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK (another VALabor Department joint venture) and supplemented by local labor market data. It is desirable to know the broad occupational picture as well as the specific picture in a particular part of the country, since the two are not always the same.

Job opportunities can vary even from one nearby community to the next. For example, the New England booklet presents statistics on two areas of similar size in Connecticut-Waterbury and New BritainBristol. The latter area had four times as many metal filers, grinders, and polishers as the former; while Waterbury had four times as many cranemen, derrickmen, and hoistmen as New Britain-Bristol.

The series of booklets illustrates how regional industrial developments and population changes have had varying effects on employment opportunities.

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For instance, from 1939 to 1952, employment in mining increased 4 percent throughout the United States. But it jumped 12 percent in West Virginia, while dropping 17 percent in Illinois and 20 percent in Pennsylvania.

To date, seven of the pamphlets are available from the U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. They should be ordered by the complete title: "Occupations and Industries in the . followed by the name of the region.

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The VA pamphlet number shown at the left in the list below, should also be given.

7-7.1 The New England States-55 cents per copy. 7-7.2 Middle Atlantic States-New Jersey; New York; and Pennsylvania-50 cents.

7-7.3 East North Central States-Illinois; Indiana; Michigan; Ohio; and Wisconsin-60 cents.

7-7.4 West North Central States-Iowa; Kansas; Minnesota; Missouri; Nebraska; North Dakota; and South Dakota-60 cents.

7-7.5 South Atlantic States-Delaware; District of Columbia; Florida; Georgia; Maryland; North Carolina; South Carolina; Virginia; and West Virginia-65 cents.

7-7.6 East South Central States-Alabama; Kentucky; Mississippi; and Tennessee-40 cents.

7-7.9 Pacific States-California; Oregon; and Washington-40 cents.

Their

The other two booklets, dealing with the remainder of the country, are expected to be out soon. prices will be announced at that time.

Safest Work Year on Record

FEWER persons were killed in the course of their employment during 1954 than in any of the 18 years for which records are available, according to an announcement by Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates placed the workdeath total for 1954 at 14,000, a drop of 7 percent from the 15,000 workers killed in 1953.

The total of all disabling work injuries also dropped sharply in 1954, down to 1,860,000-9 percent below 1953 and the lowest total in 15 years. From the high point reached in 1943, the injury volume has decreased 23 percent, and the number of fatalities by 24 percent, while total employment has increased 12 percent.

"In large measure," the Secretary commented,

"these reductions in the volume of work injuries reflect advances in safety achieved through the cooperative efforts of employers and their employees. All participants in the safety movement shared in this favorable accomplishment."

The Secretary pointed out, however, that not all of the reduced volume of injuries in 1954 can be attributed to advances in safety. "An appreciable part of this reduction from 1953 to 1954 can be traced to declines in employment and shortened working hours. These contributing factors, however, do not detract from the commendation rightfully due to the safety movement for its 1954 achievements.

"Despite these encouraging improvements, the 1954 record still presents a serious humanitarian and economic challenge . . . Our sense of achievement must be tempered by the realization that accident prevention has still a long way to go."

Federal Employees Life Insurance

By the end of 1954-when the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program was just 4 months old-more than $15 million had accrued to the survivors of Federal civil service employees in death payments, with another $1 million accruing in accidental death and dismemberment payments, as reported by the Civil Service Commission.

There are approximately 1,800,000 employee participants in this country and overseas. This is 90 percent of the approximately 2 million employees who are eligible. The insurance coverage involved amounts to between $7 and $8 billion.

The Commission estimated that in 1955 about $87 million will be paid into the program by insured Federal employees and the Government. Employees contribute 25 cents per $1,000 of insurance each biweekly pay period, with the Government contributing half as much as the employee.

Based on death and accident rate figures, the Commission said it was expecting to pay out about $60 million in benefits to survivors of insured Federal employees during 1955 with an additional $4 million being paid out under the accidental death or dismemberment provisions of the insurance coverage. Most of the difference between the receipts and benefits payments, the Commission pointed out, will be placed in a contingency fund which, among other things, will be used to pay benefits accruing to the survivors of retirees. While the number of retirees presently covered by this insurance is comparatively small, that group will rapidly increase as more employees reach retirement age.

Earnings for the Blind From Vending Stands

NEARLY 1,670 blind vending-stand operators and their employees earned approximately $4.8 million during fiscal year 1954, according to an announcement by the director of the State-Federal program for vocational rehabilitation. These are the highest net earnings ever recorded by the blind men and women

1 The first 7 items refer to State unemployment insurance programs only; they include data for veterans filing under State programs even though such veterans may, at the same time, be filing for supplemental benefits under provisions of the Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952.

Excludes transitional claims which do not represent new unemployment. Data exclude territories.

The first 4 items contain data relating to the program under provisions of the Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952. Data include 15,100 initial claims, 57,800 weeks claimed, 12,600 insured unemployment and $422,000 in benefits for veterans who were filing to supplement payments under State programs. Excluded are data for veterans filing to supplement benefits under the railroad unemployment insurance program.

Includes 727 transitional initial claims in order to represent all veterans filing under UCV program.

THE

HE annual work plan-which has as its primary goals greater continuity of employment, better use of the farm labor force, and improved workeremployer responsibility-was placed in operation on a nationwide basis in 1954. The Farm Placement Service initiated this plan on the east coast about 6 years ago to assist the thousands of workers who each year leave Florida and other Southern States and migrate to the eastern seaboard States. The plan is designated to eliminate needless migration and to place these migrant agricultural workers on additional jobs which supplement their regular work schedule, thereby providing greater continuity of employment and increased income.

The migrant agricultural work force consists of thousands of workers who each year leave their home States and migrate to other States along the eastern seaboard, the Central and Great Lakes States, and up the Pacific coast, with many crisscrossing movements within and between these States. This migrant farm work force is composed of family groups moving in family units; crews that originate because of the necessity of pooling transportation costs, other crews brought together through the initiative of a crew leader for the purpose of meeting work commitments the crew leader has made with employers in various locations. The male workers employed in the small grain harvest comprise another component of the migratory farm labor group.

With the exception of the grain harvest workers, migrants have in the past moved on their own, using transportation furnished by the family head or the group leader, and have generally followed a crop pattern or a single crop activity in which the workers. are interested. Many of the family groups and crews have been working with employers with whom they

have had contact in previous years. Other migrants are recruited directly by employers in supply States without the assistance of the Employment Service.

The movement of these workers in the past has * often resulted in needless migration, concentration of too many workers in some areas, loss of income by reason of unemployment between jobs, and the development of labor shortages in areas where, by proper utilization of the available labor supply, these shortages would have been eliminated.

The annual work plan when it becomes fully operative on a nationwide basis will eliminate many of these difficulties through the development each year of an employment schedule between specific employers and groups of workers, with arrangements being completed insofar as possible before the worker leaves his home State. In more than 6 years of successful operation on the east coast, the annual work plan has been thoroughly tested and found practical. Family groups and organized crews have been contacted each year before they leave Florida and a work plan developed by the Employment Service which includes areas in which the workers previously worked and new jobs in other areas to the extent necessary to complete the workers' employment schedule.

The operation of the plan is simple. It provides that the workers be contacted and their future employment plans determined. This enables the Employment Service to identify the periods in which the worker groups are likely to be unemployed and to arrange and confirm with specific employers additional jobs which will provide employment throughout the period of the workers' availability.

In many cases, worker groups have tentative arrangements with employers to return the following season, but these arrangements are subject to vagaries

of weather, crop and market conditions, as well as changes in the labor market. The Employment Service, through contact with the employer at the beginning of the season, is able to confirm whether there will be need for the crew or worker group and, through contact with the worker group, is able to confirm whether a family group or crew will be available.

One of the benefits to the worker is placement in a series of jobs on which employment arrangements have been completed before he leaves his home. The prearrangement for jobs creates a sense of reponsibility for carrying out the job commitment. The employer also feels the weight of responsibility for employing the crew when they appear at the place of employment in accordance with the agreement. Both the employer and the worker have the added protection provided through Employment Service participation. If conditions develop over which neither the worker nor the employer has control, and which prevent the fulfillment of the employment commitment, the Employment Service is able to assist in completing new arrangements. In this way, the employers and the workers benefit; the employer by being relieved of an obligation, and the workers by protection of their reputation for reliability.

All States currently using migrant workers are engaged in contacting these workers where they live or where they are employed within their State boundaries to ascertain their previous employment, the composition of the group, and other detailed information which will be useful in the development of specific employment plans.

Specific information concerning the employment of migrant agricultural workers has enabled State agencies to stimulate improvement of housing and working conditions in many areas because they are familiar with the problems encountered, the number and characteristics of the workers employed, and the period for which these workers will be in a particular community.

The annual work plan will continue to be one of the major points of emphasis in the farm placement program throughout the country in those States and areas where migrants are an important part of the agricultural labor force. In 1954, 2,634 separate worker groups, consisting of nearly 82,000 workers, were placed in successive farm jobs through the plan. In 1955, it is anticipated that at least twice as many migrant farmworkers will be served through the annual work plan.

Idaho's First Season With

IN

IN OUTLINING our experiences with the annual plan for migratory workers, it might be well first to discuss the geography of our county and some of the work for which we need migratory labor.

Twin Falls County comprises approximately 1,242,880 acres, with 41 percent in farmland. It is a diversified farming section with seed peas and beans, sugar beets, hay, small grain, and sweet corn the main crops. There are about 240,000 acres of irrigated land and this is where the majority of help is needed.

In 1954 there were an estimated 15,000 acres of sugar beets, 9,500 acres of potatoes, 80,000 acres of seed beans, and 2,700 acres of sweet corn. These crops use most of the hand labor required. Our labor estimates are made on the basis of one worker to 10 acres for thinning and hoeing beets, 1 worker to 3% acres in the potato harvest, and 1 man for 6 acres for snapping corn. However, with more farmers harvesting their corn by machine, actual labor needs. are reduced to about 85 workers.

Early in March the local office manager and farm placement representative were called in to the preseason agricultural planning meeting at Pocatello. Various problems were discussed and the annual plan for migratory workers was introduced. It could readily be seen that putting the plan into effect would require a great many hours of hard work, but that the merits of the program would more than offset the added workload.

Another farm placement meeting was held in Boise on June 15. The annual plan was thoroughly discussed and explained by representatives of the national and regional office. With this additional information on the program we were convinced more than ever of the desirability of the plan, both for the Agency and the worker. We really got into the proposition with "both feet."

Twenty-eight migratory crews worked in this area during the sugar-beet-thinning operation in June and each crew leader was contacted personally. The ES-369 (work schedule) forms were verified and

revised, or new forms made where necessary. This involved many extra hours of work-evenings and Sunday afternoons as it was impossible to contact the crews in the field during working hours. At the time of these contacts, the program was explained to all crew leaders; they seemed to have a good idea what was involved but were somewhat skeptical of its practicability. The cooperation of these men on the initial and subsequent contacts, however, was gratifying.

Our next problem, as the beet-thinning season drew to a close, was finding work for the crews outside of this area. Very little migrant labor is needed here after beet thinning is finished early in July until the potato harvest starts the first part of October. Considerable time was spent in making telephone calls and writing letters to areas where the services of these workers might be needed.

Unforeseen circumstances intensified our problem in developing openings for these crews. Inclement weather caused a late start in thinning. This resulted in a peak period during which labor demand far exceeded the supply. An intensified radio and newspaper campaign for help was conducted.

Local labor responded immediately and in considerable numbers to finish the work sooner than we had anticipated. The response from local workers to go to the beet fields was unusual as they had refused to do this work in the past. Their participation was, we feel, attributable to the lack of other types of work in the area and to somewhat less favorable economic conditions. We neither expected nor were prepared for this local response.

When things quieted down, we found that our crews had been dispersed in the following ways: 7 crews were sent to Oregon, 3 to Wisconsin, 4 to Utah, 1 to Washington, 4 to other sections of Idaho, 5 remained in the Twin Falls area to assist with beet and bean weeding, and 4 returned to Texas.

Still a Big Task

The outmigration of these crews did not lessen our task with the new program. Up to this point, the time had been spent primarily with the crew leaders and the preparation or revision of work schedules. But now came the task of acquainting the farmers with the program. An extensive field-visiting program was undertaken to accomplish this objective.

Farmers known to have used migratory labor in previous seasons were contacted and told about the program in an effort to secure their commitments for crews who had expressed a desire to return to this area for potato picking. Here we were met with a variety of reactions. A few employers were quite enthusiastic about the program and readily gave us orders. Others were skeptical. They felt that it would be a waste of time, that the crew would not show up, and they would be in a spot for pickers. Still others seemed to feel they couldn't make an agreement that far ahead as they didn't know the day they would start. Even

after further explanation, their attitude was one of "let's wait and see how it works for farmer Brown."

Plan Well Received

Of particular significance in the development of the plan was the favorable reception by the larger, more influential growers. One such employer is now considering building housing close to his operations for his migratory workers. This would eliminate added expense to the workers who have to pay rent at the local labor camp.

From orders received during our field visits, crews were matched with specifications and leaders were contacted. In every instance where referrals were made, the crews which made commitments came in to do the job and the employer was pleased with the work. The local office played a vital role in this operation, serving as an important link in bringing workers and employers together. Each crew leader contacted in the early part of the season was impressed with the importance of keeping commitments and maintaining a high level of work standards if he desired to return here for work in following years.

With the aid of these migratory crews- -several of whom have been coming to this area for many years— schoolchildren, and other local labor, our potato harvest was completed with no labor shortage at any time.

Our plans had called for a reinterview of crew leaders before they left the area, after completing their work in the potato fields, to verify their commitments in their next place of employment. However, due to the short time the crews were here for the potato harvest and a heavy workload in the local office, we were able to contact only a few. We had also hoped to determine if the commitments made for the crews during the season had been satisfactory to them.

Plans are now being made for the coming season. The Farm Placement Representative will soon meet with the sugar beet growers to obtain information on the crews who worked here last season and determine if they will be wanted again this year. When all the information on the crews is gathered, it will be compiled and forwarded to the sugar company's recruiter

in Texas.

Farmers will also be contacted to further the program and better acquaint them with the way it operated. Those who were "on the fence" or "undecided" will be shown the results of the program when used by other farmers. The Farm Placement Representative will attend all meetings where there is an opportunity to advance the plan.

At the very beginning we were convinced of the merits of this plan. With one season of operation behind us, we are more enthusiastic than ever. The experience we gained last season will be extremely valuable in formulating and carrying through our plans for the coming season. The annual plan appears to be the solution to a problem which has confronted us for many years: The orderly guidance and placement of workers when and where they are needed.