WOMEN IN WWII INDUSTRY & WAR EFFORT

there are a hundred million of us men and women of working and fighting age to fight this war ten million more people must go to work by the end of 1943 before the war half of us work the other 50 million kept house went to school played or looked for work today employment officers are deserted for every machinist available for example 22 are needed for every rivet are available for are needed employers faced with this crisis pirate workers from other war plants by promising higher wages one idle machine can halt an entire production line chaos exists on the labor side two workers hear rumors of high-paying jobs failed to ask what skills are required and rush to critical areas uprooted homeless they are an added problem places to live are so scarce that men sleep in shifts in what are known as hot beds plainly such confusion will not speed our war industry we organize ourselves for this war we set up an agency headed by Paul V McNutt one of my first steps as chairman of the war manpower Commission was to appoint a policy committee of Representatives of labor and management to help locate and sow our manpower problems overcrowded Baltimore is the test area manpower and army experts decide that such production centers have unused labor sources to uncover before calling in migrants business labor and government meat Union delegates plans to curtail job switching among war workers and the Sancha war industry to leave his job without first clearing through his union if our workers are in places where they are of greatest service that's where we want them to stay employers sign anti labor pirating pledges now manpower has two tasks locating skilled men and training new labour first the Selective Service skill survey is used a beer salesman was once a pipefitter I've been with us cutting it ten years there's a lot of seniority to give up well we'll see what can be done about it his employer is contacted we feel that you're goin to war work is the same as joining the Armed Forces your job will be waiting for you thank you now he builds ships guaranteed seniority on this pattern will free thousands of trained men for war jobs a second large source of skilled ex workers is found among store keepers I've got a nice little store filled up what shall I do with it well maybe you can sell it as their establishments are transferred to folk without critical skills many small businessmen discover they can earn more at war jobs than they did in business there is no time to Train men in skills that take years to develop men powers next move is to list all non war enterprises which can be called upon to give up skilled workers the Commissioner informs a department store manager that a gun carriage plant urgently requires men boys what a manpower Commission wants some of us to change over to war industry leo you want a job ok with me within the war plants skills are spread an experienced machinist breaks down his job so that parts can be handled by new men the second phase of Manpower's program is to find and train people for the millions of jobs that do not demand long time skills unemployed or employed below their best capacity are a million Negroes well and that's the one for me in government schools all over the country such workers trained for jobs of vital importance day and night classes are conducted to these free schools also come men who have lost their jobs as a result of the shutting down of peacetime enterprises affected by a priorities on materials salesmen clerks clothing workers in specially affected areas learn new trades in a month or six weeks a man can go to work as a welder on ships tanks gun with every man utilized we are still short millions of hands we must call upon women at first women go into service jobs releasing men for the army and for war industries out of 50 million women at the beginning of the war 10 million were working in war towns all over the United States women are called upon to leave their homes and take jobs among our young unmarried women and among older women whose children are grown we have a large reserve they discover that factory work is usually no more difficult than housework employers find that women can do many jobs as well as men some jobs better training schools are open for women life metals used in aircraft are easy for women to handle but they undertake every form of shop work even invading such fields as welding hitherto reserved for men machine operations requiring patience and accuracy attract them at once so laters of the need that employers come to the schools to select and hire women before they complete their course those who wish to remain and finish their schooling tens of thousands of women are already at work in aircraft more of being added as fast as they apply this solves the breadwinning problem for many families whose men are at war the government's policy is that women should get the same pay that men get for similar work what are you doing your money save it where necessary machinery is adapted for women's use when a hand drill weighs heavily on feminine muscles the lazy arm drill is introduced to take off the strain as women are urged to take factory jobs the army assures them this will not necessarily affect the draft status of their husbands so long as they're maintaining a bona fide family relationship in the home by the end of 1943 one out of every three women will be at work when married women with small children have to take jobs everything possible will be done to provide day care for the children in the meantime as men are drawn from the farms into our Armed Forces America's youth finds its place in the war effort thus the manpower commission utilizes voluntary means to organize our entire population for war but we've already indicated through a national poll that we're willing to have such a program enforced by law today a vast network of government employment agencies acts as our war man power Clearing House if you are retired your local US employment office may arrange to train you for work right in your own community should you be physically handicapped you will find your country is making special efforts to adapt your abilities 4,500 local offices of the United States employment service are guiding us to our places in the war effort don't move around on your own consult a government agency first if you're a woman who's never worked you will find courses ready for you prepare now you will be needed by the end of nine team forty-three one out of every two active Americans will either be in war production or in the fighting forces the rest of us will be feeding clothing housing the frontline fighters and workers only then will we be fighting with every muscle only at that point can we say that all work is war work