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Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

At Work in Industry Today Page 27

ence seemed to match perfectly with the requirements of the job. She made a fine impression in her interview and within a month was learning the routines of her new job with the help of her predecessor.
     Miss Williams joined General Electric with a slight pay raise over her last position. In the two years since, her pay has increased by more than 15 per cent over her starting salary. She's earned two merit increases and shared in one general increase. Most importantly, perhaps, by her initiative and eagerness to expand the scope of her work she has helped earn a raise in grade for the position, thus opening up future advancement opportunities.
     Education has played a major role in Miss Williams' progress. She maintained a "B" average at PS 157 and Prospect Heights High School in Brooklyn, and then went on to earn  her secretarial certificate from Drake Business College. She has since taken courses in English at the City College of New York and French at Alliance Francaise. She's still studying, in fact. When the chance came up to do some writing for the GE monogram, she signed up for creative writing classes at New York University. And she's an omnivorous reader -- mostly good fiction.
     Miss Williams believes that "every young person should reach out for the best possible education.
     "Hard work in the classroom pays off,"" she points out, "and so does the determination to learn new skills and grasp new ideas on the job. I've learned something new on each job -- and it's really helped."
      What does she like the most about her work at General Electric? "Fist, I have a chance to write for the first time--and I like it. Second, meeting and talking with a lot of people," says Miss Williams. "A magazine office is a busy place. Every day brings visitors from all over the country. And I'm on the phone daily talking to people in General Electric plants from coast to coast -- assembling facts, checking stories, and so forth. In fact, many of the people who come into our office from out of town are already old telephone friends.
     And what else makes an impact? "Deadline time!" she says, emphatically. "Things get hectic around any publication when you're wrapping it up --and The Monogram is no exception. But we work together and get the late stories written and checked and the pictures assembled and the final proofs okayed. And when we finally get it off to the printers we feel pretty good about a job well done."

[photo to right]
Pauline Williams

'Never a better time for qualified people to get jobs'

Pauline Williams went to work as a parts checker at General Electric's big Schenectady plant at the beginning of World War II. Today she holds one of the key secretarial positions on the Company's engineering staff at Schenectady.
     "Right now the opportunities are just endless -- especially for college trained people," Miss Williams says. "There has never been a better time for qualified people to get and hold jobs."
     Miss Williams began her career with General Electric in a factory job. However, she had attended business school at night and when the war ended she applied for -- and got -- a job as a clerk typist. Since then it has been a series of promotions for her, with an increase in responsibilities and in pay each time. In her spare time, she took courses at Russell Sage College in nearby Troy and in May of this year was graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology.
     Last fall she was invited to speak to young Negro women attending a special secretarial course at New York University. The course, sponsored by the National Urban League,the Gender Electrical Company and five other firms, helps the girls prepare themselves for industrial careers. Said Miss Williams:
     "This is a wonderful time for members of minority groups to be growing up. The opportunities are there. But be sure you're qualified when you apply for a job. You won't be happy unless you are.

[photo to left]
Lawrence H. Wright

Developing a job philosophy--and following it for advancement

"Do the best you can, even a little better!"
     This is the job philosophy that Lawrence H. Wright follows at General Electric's Locomotive and Car Equipment Department in Erie, Pa. This includes  taking courses to learn new skills for better jobs.
     Mr. Wright developed his job philosophy while serving a four-year enlistment in the Air Force. Following graduation in 1957 from Strong Vincent High School in Erie, where he ranked scholastically in the upper half of his class, he enlisted in the service and was based at the Thule Airfield in Greenland. He was assigned to the Water Supply and Purification Unit, but found he didn't know one tool from another. So, he enrolled in a USAF correspondence course in plumbing. She course helped in his eventual promotion to Airman First Class. Among his other Air Force educational projects was to master the mysteries of square roots, which he did with the aid of a bor-

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ence seemed to match perfectly with the requirements of the job. She made a fine impression in her interview and within a month was learning the routines of her new job with the help of her predecessor. Miss Williams joined General Electric with a slight pay raise over her last position. In the two years since, her pay has increased by more than 15 per cent over her starting salary. She's earned two merit increases and shared in one general increase. Most importantly, perhaps, by her initiative and eagerness to expand the scope of her work she has helped earn a raise in grade for the position, thus opening up future advancement opportunities. Education has played a major role in Miss Williams' progress. She maintained a "B" average at PS 157 and Prospect Heights High School in Brooklyn, and then went on to earn her secretarial certificate from Drake Business College. She has since taken courses in English at the City College of New York and French at Alliance Francaise. She's still studying, in fact. When the chance came up to do some writing for the GE monogram, she signed up for creative writing classes at New York University. And she's an omnivorous reader -- mostly good fiction. Miss Williams believes that "every young person should reach out for the best possible education. "Hard work in the classroom pays off,"" she points out, "and so does the determination to learn new skills and grasp new ideas on the job. I've learned something new on each job -- and it's really helped." What does she like the most about her work at General Electric? "Fist, I have a chance to write for the first time--and I like it. Second, meeting and talking with a lot of people," says Miss Williams. "A magazine office is a busy place. Every day brings visitors from all over the country. And I'm on the phone daily talking to people in General Electric plants from coast to coast -- assembling facts, checking stories, and so forth. In fact, many of the people who come into our office from out of town are already old telephone friends. And what else makes an impact? "Deadline time!" she says, emphatically. "Things get hectic around any publication when you're wrapping it up --and The Monogram is no exception. But we work together and get the late stories written and checked and the pictures assembled and the final proofs okayed. And when we finally get it off to the printers we feel pretty good about a job well done." [photo to right] Pauline Williams 'Never a better time for qualified people to get jobs' Pauline Williams went to work as a parts checker at General Electric's big Schenectady plant at the beginning of World War II. Today she holds one of the key secretarial positions on the Company's engineering staff at Schenectady. "Right now the opportunities are just endless -- especially for college trained people," Miss Williams says. "There has never been a better time for qualified people to get and hold jobs." Miss Williams began her career with General Electric in a factory job. However, she had attended business school at night and when the war ended she applied for -- and got -- a job as a clerk typist. Since then it has been a series of promotions for her, with an increase in responsibilities and in pay each time. In her spare time, she took courses at Russell Sage College in nearby Troy and in May of this year was graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. Last fall she was invited to speak to young Negro women attending a special secretarial course at New York University. The course, sponsored by the National Urban League,the Gender Electrical Company and five other firms, helps the girls prepare themselves for industrial careers. Said Miss Williams: "This is a wonderful time for members of minority groups to be growing up. The opportunities are there. But be sure you're qualified when you apply for a job. You won't be happy unless you are. [photo to left] Lawrence H. Wright Developing a job philosophy--and following it for advancement "Do the best you can, even a little better!" This is the job philosophy that Lawrence H. Wright follows at General Electric's Locomotive and Car Equipment Department in Erie, Pa. This includes taking courses to learn new skills for better jobs. Mr. Wright developed his job philosophy while serving a four-year enlistment in the Air Force. Following graduation in 1957 from Strong Vincent High School in Erie, where he ranked scholastically in the upper half of his class, he enlisted in the service and was based at the Thule Airfield in Greenland. He was assigned to the Water Supply and Purification Unit, but found he didn't know one tool from another. So, he enrolled in a USAF correspondence course in plumbing. She course helped in his eventual promotion to Airman First Class. Among his other Air Force educational projects was to master the mysteries of square roots, which he did with the aid of a bor- 27