Word: sds
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
RATHER than being. as SDS charges. part of such a tactic, the hiring of the painters' helpers seems to fall into a commoner category: a blundering attempt at what is nowadays known as "affirmative action"-hiring blacks and other "disadvantaged" workers. Blundering, because Harvard is now facing a situation which has happened in private industry often enough: hire blacks. put them into low-level work slots. give them little attention. look at them a year later. and you find that few, or none, have advanced...
This is not to say that every white worker, or foreman. or union official, is "racist." but merely that black workers here are to some extent-and more important, probably strongly feel themselves to be-in an alien. white world. The current SDS campaign has denied that the attitudes of white workers have anything to do with the situation of the painters' helpers. White workers. SDS claims have no objections to promoting the painters' helpers at one swoop. If so, it would appear to be a small miracle: that white workers-particularly the Irish Bostonians who are a large part...
...SDS demand-eliminate the helpers' category, and promote all the painters' helpers-becomes particularly questionable when one considers what this will mean in the future to black applicants for jobs at Harvard. If the helper status-or some form of lower entrance status-does not exist, the black applicants will have to compete directly for journeyman status with white workers who, being free of the handicap of discrimination, would presumably be more skilled. This would maximize both the handicap of black workers, and the hostility from white workers created by any preference given to blacks...
...MANY students at Harvard, the campaign of SDS and Afro to promote the painters' helpers to journeymen painters is a complicated and boring issue which might best be left to Harvard and the unions to resolve. It does not seem as important as the war or Harvard's expansion into Cambridge. The University has said that the category of "painters helper" was initiated 14 months ago in order to employ more blacks and train them "with the clear objective of promotion to journeyman after a sufficient period of on-the-job training...
...SDS was holding Dean May last week because of Harvard's racism, intimidation, and cheap labor policies. Maybe a few other liberals and radicals should take notice...