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Show it is more men are convinced honorable to steal for ten dollars an hour than to try to exist on a wage. He can't see any reason to grovel and be honest when he can't sense any benefit from it. Many hard-cor- e s The "American Dream'' For Everyone? sub-standa- by Laura Briggs "What the American is Doesn't everybody know that? The young black man, Scott, concentrated on the City. "I thought it was just going to be a lecture session, telling us how to fill out forms and such. The opening exercise, where the feelings of fear and confusion the answer given by instructor problem worker experiences Shirley Anderson to his query. "The American Dream is when he is first hired was Dream? hope held out, a philosophy, a that any American or any who comes to America immigrant to work and live, can attain security, a good life, fame and for himself fortune, and his family - - if he is willing to study hard, work diligently and be thrifty and honest." self-respe- ct Ronald Scott himself "Scott -- -- - - had graphically illustrated, tremendous positive impact right from the first moments of the seminar. Our minds were opened to active desire for better understanding of the special problems of the hard-core unemployed." "Movies, special problem exercises and role playing he calls situations were all well presented stared at and inspiring," continued Shirley. His face was rigid. He smiled slightly. The look in the depths of his eyes was scorn and disbelief. Scott had never heard of the American Dream. Shirley's definition rated no more than a bitter cough of incredulity from this man who had grown up in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Shirley admitted that her own grandfather, a native of Mexico, had come to Utah, worked in a mine all his life and had so little to show for it, he and her grandmother would probably question the American Dream concept just as Scott had done. The above was part of the Millgate, "but communication understands all his job functions. More emphasis should be placed and idea exchange that took place, Wednesday, September 20, during a Supervisory and Human Relations Seminar, sponsored by NAB (National Alliance of Businessmen.) The seminar, held at the Employment Security Office in Salt Lake City, was an experience designed to broaden, sensitize and educate employers in their attitudes all-da- y toward unemployed, inasmuch as these employers have hard-cor- e contracted to hire "unemployable" workers through the federally sponsored NAB program. "I got the impression the employer was having a finger pointed at him and was asked to feel sorry for the unemployed," candidly observed hard-cor- e Wayne Moore, shop foreman of Kearl Manufacturing in Midvale. "I feel that pity isn't the answer. Each person a company employes is an individual and should be treated with respect, but he should realize his responsibility to serve his employer for the profit of both." "I was really surprised and pleased that the seminar was a real situation experience of sorts," commented Ray Millgate, S e c r e ta r y -- Tr e as u re r of Distinctive Jewelers of Salt Lake feel the I Shirley Anderson, she is Chicano, was since somewhat subjective and appeared to make excuses for the problem worker, intimating that we should mollycoddle him." "I went back to my company my attitudes toward all my fellow workers," declared Lawrence Reid, of Rocky Mountain Corporation of West Jordan. "I feel learned more about the value of communication between an employer and his employees. I doubt will be so quick from now vice-preside- nt Geo-Chemic- al I I on to assume a worker on constructive exchange between the worker and management." Twelve area businesses were represented at this, the eighth of the NAB seminars, according to James E. "Pete" Petersen, Metro-directo- r of NAB. Though the seminar is part of the contract in the NAB program, the ratio of attendance by businessmen involved in the NAB program is about 50. The employer is reimbursed by NAB for time spent at the seminar, but many find it difficult to get away from their work to attend. Petersen confirmed that 154 employers have taken advantage of the seminars since the program began. unemployed are "Hard-cor- e referred to us by various CAP, Model Cities, Outreach teams, various organizations - rehabilitation services, Guadalupe Mexican Service Center and the Employment Security Offices of the State, to name a few," states Larry Wardle, of NAB offices in the Kennecott Building. "The contract for each worker is a nine month agreement, flexible in that the employer and the worker are not bound to one another if it is evident their relationshi p is not going to work out. NAB's function is to contact the employer, encourage him to employees." The businesses represented at the NAB seminar, in addition to those already mentioned were: participate in the program and to assist him and the worker in Heating and Air Conditioning, making satisfactory Logan Shoe Clinic, Morgan adjustments." Wardle explained that the program subsidizes federal funds with the wage of the worker during this nine month period in order to further encourage the employer to take the extra time and make the specialized effort to give the workers a chance, without undue financial risk to his business operation. "At present, we are placing around 40 to 60 contracts a month in the Utah area," states Hal Savage, Employment First Security Bank, Welch Jewelers, Crabtree Auto Parts in Ogden, Lorenz Grinding in Salt Lake City, Weber Office Supply Company and Northern Utah Office Machines in Ogden. James E. Petersen gave the introductory address, in which he presented the fact that 25 million people in the United States are at poverty level. "Twenty five million people that's one out of eight in our population of 200 million," stressed Petersen. "The NAB program was initiated in the - Security Consultant to the NAB program. "Preference is given not only to disadvantaged minority groups, but to veterans, youth of employable age, people in the administration of President poverty category, either Petersen concluded his statements by offering his economically speaking or because of meaningless jobs, and people with physical, mental or emotional handicaps." Savage continued, stating that the number of problem workers placed through the NAB program is limited only by the amount of funds and staff in the program. He indicated that although NAB is growing steadily, they are placing 1,500 to 2,000 workers when they might, ideally, be assisting 50,000. "We work from the bottom up," Tony King, a black who works in Public Relations for NAB. "In other words, we give preference to the worker who seems most difficult to place anywhere. If we didn't do that, we'd fall into the natural practice of giving the available jobs to the most qualified, as is done with qualified job applicants. "We have a substantial percentage of the very people we are dedicated to help in the NAB employ, as well as in the Employment Security offices, King continued. "You'd be surprised at the histories and, at one time, seemingly insoluable problems, of these workers who are now successful in their jobs," he said. "Since the attitude and understanding of the employers in the NAB program is, I feel, the real key to the success of the program, or more important, to the success of the prospective employee," commented King, "my job is to convince an employer that NAB assistance and the seminars are going to be helpful to himself and his Johnson as part of his poverty program. Fifty of the nation's largest cities piloted the program." opinion that the biggest problem our country has to deal with is division, not only division among minority and cultural groups, but more divisions within each of these groups. Instructors for the seminar were Shirley Anderson and Don Gaillard, both from the Basic Educational Skill Center at Utah Technical College on Fourth South in Salt Lake City. Ronald Scott of Job Corps, who is now working on a temporary assignment pa r a - p r o f es s o n a i I as a with Employment Security in Salt Lake City, provided invaluable assistance in the seminar, as did Ralph Sandoval of Employment Security. As compared to what he feels is the hopelessness of Watts, Scott feels we in Utah have no real problems. He praised the counseling, individual attention and "caring" of Utah agencies, as compared to what his people get in Los Angeles. Scott can readily assume the role and attitude of the bitter Watts resident for the purposes of illustration, but he states firmly and it is evident, that he has learned appreciation of himself and all people since he has had a chance to live and work in a new area, a new world, for him. He speaks candidly and directly to the point. His reply to a management observation that a man should be willing to accept a humble wage in exchange for a chance for training and permanent job tenure was, " Some intelligent rd unemployed can't see past the immediate moment, anyway, that's part of their problem." Harry James, a Navajo Indian American, is often in attendance at these seminars to represent his particular group reactions, according to Hal Savage. Better communication, upgrading human relations and the quality of empathy between labor and management is obviously the future emphasis in American industry. It will be a slow, spasmodic process, beset by fear, misunderstanding, conflict of interests and errors but there is no question that work is coming to be regarded as an integral part of our lifestyle, not just the eight hour interlude each weekday when we are merely expending time to get a paycheck so we can "live for real" in the remaining hours. Possible Solution To Housing Crisis by Donna Reilly There are many families in Salt Lake County desperately in need of a home in which to live. Is e there a way to provide families with a decent home low-incom- without waiting years for construction and red tape to be completed? Since August, 1970, Kansas City, Missouri, through its Model Cities Program, has been experimenting with a Housing Allowance Program. The Housing Allowance Program enables a family to rent a moderately priced, privately owned unit in any area of the city. The family pays 25 per cent of their income and HUD supplements the remaining portion of the rent. Perhaps this program will prove to be a more effective way to provide rent subsidy than the usual public housing program. The Federal Department of Housing Development is considering 15 cities throughout the nation to participate under the program. If you feel this program would benefit families in the Salt Lake area, please write your Congressmen, Senators, and other governmental representatives. |