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Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

At Work in Industry Today Page 18

[photo to right]
William R. Ransby

Young Georgia employee earns two promotions in two years

Twenty-five year old Bill Ransby came to work at General Electric's Medium Transformer Department in Rome, Georgia, in early 1963.
     Prior to his employment with GE, Mr. Ransby regarded himself as not a whole lot different from the average Negro in the South. A native of Rome, he had graduated from Rome's Main High School in 1959. At 21 years of age, he was a little old to be graduating from high school, but as he explains it, "I failed some courses early in high school and I dropped out of school for quite a while. Then, I guess I made up my mind not to quit. I went back to school and I made 'A's and 'B's in those subjects I had failed.
     Living with his grandparents at that time, Bill Ransby had to work while in school. His first job was washing and busing dishes at the age of 15. After his graduation from high school, his employment history was again not different from many Negroes in the area. He washed dishes, worked as a short order cook and unloaded trucks for a local flour mill -- holding the latter job for over three years.
     In 1963, attracted by General Electric's higher wages and equal opportunity policy, he sought employment with GE. He started in the lowest rated job, a janitor. But his performance soon resulted in a promotion to a job as a laborer. Mr. Ransby knew, however, that he needed further training beyond his high school education in order to qualify for many of the higher rated jobs. "I figured that my chances of advancement wouldn't be too bright unless I did something to improve myself, so I enrolled in a Company-sponsored blueprint reading course."
     He completed the course, and the added knowledge helped him almost immediately. He was able to fill an opening as a Formex helper in a plastic film-coating operation for transformer wire at a higher job code. While working as a Formex helper, Bill Ransby tried to learn all he could about the other jobs around him.
     As it happened, an opening for an accumulator occurred first, and his knowledge of blueprint reading enabled him to fill that opening. He gathers parts and subassemblies for the job, expedites, and checks bills of specifications. Thus, in less than two years, Bill Ransby had progressed from a Rate-8 janitor to a Rate-17 accumulator. When asked to reflect back on his motives at the time he enrolled in the print reading course, he says, "I knew that it would mean a lot of time outside of working hours, and a lot of extra effort. But,I wanted to get ahead and I saw no substitute for hard work and effort."
     His present job takes him to all corners of the plant. He regards his position as "an education in itself," and he says, "I like that aspect of the job." In this job, he can and is learning all he can about the manufacture of a transformer. Why? Because as Bill Ransby puts it, "Management is always looking for a better way to do the job. The competition is constantly getting more demanding, and the jobs likewise get more demanding. I want to be ready the next time a promotion opportunity knocks."

[photo to right]
Rozetta Riley

Kentucky girl led her high school class--but couldn't get a good job. Today she sees new hope in work at GE tube plant in Owensboro

"Sorry, we have no openings for factory employment, but we are interviewing for clerical work if you have the training for it."
     That was the message for Rozetta Riley when she applied for work at the employment office in Owensboro, Ky., of General Electric's Tube Department. And, Rozetta was trained for the job. She had gone to night school at Brescia College in Owensboro and developed her secretarial skills first acquired while a student at Western High School.
     But, Miss Riley's preparation was not easy. It required  years of sacrifice and persistence. At Western High, she was graduated in 1956 as valedictorian of her class. Her ambition was to become a secretary, but when she found difficulty getting employment in her chosen field, she obtained a job doing housework so that she could earn money for college. In the fall of 1957, Rozetta entered night school at Brescia College and continued her daytime job as a housekeeper.
     After attending night school for four years and placing applications for employment as a secretary in many businesses and industries in Owensboro, to no avail, Rozetta Riley became discouraged. She could see no job opportunities that would justify her continuing her college education. Her hopes and ambitions seemed beyond reach. She quit college in 1961 and discarded any thoughts of becoming a secretary.
     Then, in 1963, she discussed job possibilities with a General Electric interviewer in Owensboro. Miss Riley took a battery of clerical aptitude tests. Her secretarial skills were a little rusty, but she earned a job offer as a price audit clerk in the Tube Department's purchasing operation.
     Now Miss Riley, often discouraged, sees new hope. She wants to prepare herself for a secretarial position within General Electric, and she is enrolling in Owensboro Business College to resharpen her secretarial talents. She is determined to take advantage of the many promotional opportunities that she sees available in the future

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[photo to right] William R. Ransby Young Georgia employee earns two promotions in two years Twenty-five year old Bill Ransby came to work at General Electric's Medium Transformer Department in Rome, Georgia, in early 1963. Prior to his employment with GE, Mr. Ransby regarded himself as not a whole lot different from the average Negro in the South. A native of Rome, he had graduated from Rome's Main High School in 1959. At 21 years of age, he was a little old to be graduating from high school, but as he explains it, "I failed some courses early in high school and I dropped out of school for quite a while. Then, I guess I made up my mind not to quit. I went back to school and I made 'A's and 'B's in those subjects I had failed. Living with his grandparents at that time, Bill Ransby had to work while in school. His first job was washing and busing dishes at the age of 15. After his graduation from high school, his employment history was again not different from many Negroes in the area. He washed dishes, worked as a short order cook and unloaded trucks for a local flour mill -- holding the latter job for over three years. In 1963, attracted by General Electric's higher wages and equal opportunity policy, he sought employment with GE. He started in the lowest rated job, a janitor. But his performance soon resulted in a promotion to a job as a laborer. Mr. Ransby knew, however, that he needed further training beyond his high school education in order to qualify for many of the higher rated jobs. "I figured that my chances of advancement wouldn't be too bright unless I did something to improve myself, so I enrolled in a Company-sponsored blueprint reading course." He completed the course, and the added knowledge helped him almost immediately. He was able to fill an opening as a Formex helper in a plastic film-coating operation for transformer wire at a higher job code. While working as a Formex helper, Bill Ransby tried to learn all he could about the other jobs around him. As it happened, an opening for an accumulator occurred first, and his knowledge of blueprint reading enabled him to fill that opening. He gathers parts and subassemblies for the job, expedites, and checks bills of specifications. Thus, in less than two years, Bill Ransby had progressed from a Rate-8 janitor to a Rate-17 accumulator. When asked to reflect back on his motives at the time he enrolled in the print reading course, he says, "I knew that it would mean a lot of time outside of working hours, and a lot of extra effort. But,I wanted to get ahead and I saw no substitute for hard work and effort." His present job takes him to all corners of the plant. He regards his position as "an education in itself," and he says, "I like that aspect of the job." In this job, he can and is learning all he can about the manufacture of a transformer. Why? Because as Bill Ransby puts it, "Management is always looking for a better way to do the job. The competition is constantly getting more demanding, and the jobs likewise get more demanding. I want to be ready the next time a promotion opportunity knocks." [photo to right] Rozetta Riley Kentucky girl led her high school class--but couldn't get a good job. Today she sees new hope in work at GE tube plant in Owensboro "Sorry, we have no openings for factory employment, but we are interviewing for clerical work if you have the training for it." That was the message for Rozetta Riley when she applied for work at the employment office in Owensboro, Ky., of General Electric's Tube Department. And, Rozetta was trained for the job. She had gone to night school at Brescia College in Owensboro and developed her secretarial skills first acquired while a student at Western High School. But, Miss Riley's preparation was not easy. It required years of sacrifice and persistence. At Western High, she was graduated in 1956 as valedictorian of her class. Her ambition was to become a secretary, but when she found difficulty getting employment in her chosen field, she obtained a job doing housework so that she could earn money for college. In the fall of 1957, Rozetta entered night school at Brescia College and continued her daytime job as a housekeeper. After attending night school for four years and placing applications for employment as a secretary in many businesses and industries in Owensboro, to no avail, Rozetta Riley became discouraged. She could see no job opportunities that would justify her continuing her college education. Her hopes and ambitions seemed beyond reach. She quit college in 1961 and discarded any thoughts of becoming a secretary. Then, in 1963, she discussed job possibilities with a General Electric interviewer in Owensboro. Miss Riley took a battery of clerical aptitude tests. Her secretarial skills were a little rusty, but she earned a job offer as a price audit clerk in the Tube Department's purchasing operation. Now Miss Riley, often discouraged, sees new hope. She wants to prepare herself for a secretarial position within General Electric, and she is enrolling in Owensboro Business College to resharpen her secretarial talents. She is determined to take advantage of the many promotional opportunities that she sees available in the future 18