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DOCUMENlS
ROOM
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1 5 19':1
8702
-
WO R K S P R O G R E S S A D M I N I S ~ R A T I O N
Harry 1: · Hopkihs,·· Administrator
Corrington Gill· ·
Assistant Administrator
Howard B. Myers, Director
Social Research Division
-
RESEARCH BULLETIN
REASONS FOR FAILURE TO ACCEPT ASSIGNMENTS
TO WORKS PROGRAM EMPLOYMENT IN THIRTEEN CITIES
Se ri e s II, No. 16
Apri 1 6 , 1976
Digitized by
Original from
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
8702
Preface
of
A series of studies was undertaken by the . Division
Social Research
in December 1935 to ascertain the validity of reports that large mmbers of relief ~lients ·certified as eligible for Works Program E!T: ; l .~--~-ment were refusing to accept jobs to which they had been assign9d . T..':'
series of studies was divided into two parts; the first, Bulletin
Series II No. 15, included inquiries in Cincinnati, Toledo, and the
rural and town portions of Stark o.nd Athens Counties,Ohio. The second part, which is he re p r esented , consists
of studies in t:1i:·te n
citiesl/ distributed throughout the country.
The reassign.~ent forms used by the W.P.A. labor offices and the ori s inal assignment forms used by the United States Employment Service,the
National Reemployment Se rvice, or the state employment services provided a means of asc ert aining the name s of clients who had failed to
accept refe rral to a W.P.A. job or failed to report for a job to
which they had been referred. From the se forms random samples of approximately 250 cases in each of the thirte en cities were drawn for
the purpose of int ensive study.
Aft e r ne cessary information regarding family composition, usual , occup ation, and r e cent income for each
r eferred worker h3,d bee n trans cribed from the W.P.A. r e cords and from
reli ef agency fila s, the sT'e clfic r eason for the cli ent I s failure to
t8.ke a W.P.1\.. job was obtained by means of a home int e rvi ew.
Wh:meve r the valid.i ty of the reason given by a cli ent wa.s open to dou-bt,
it was followed up by interviews with family case workers, employers,
and doctors.
These studi e s of fa ilures to accept W. P.A, assignments are so:-:-iewhat
similar to the se ri e s of surveys conducted in the s'..llllmer of 1935 for
the purpose of ascertaining whet he r reli ef clients were refusing to
take private jobs.
A.~alysis of f a ilures to take Works Prog ram jobs
is considerably simplified -oy the fact that all assignments are made
through official agencies and that the hours of work , conditions of
employment, and rat e s of pay are matters of r ecord .
The studie s were conducted in t he t hirte en citi e s by the supervis ,J rs
of t he Urb an Current Chanr-:;8 Su rvey staffs, and the data, toge the r
with a -ba.ckg round re port upon th0 work in each city, we re sent to the
Spec:i.al Inquiri es Section of t he Division of Social Re s e arch for
analysis .
The U..."liformity of method. employe d in r.1.aking the studi e s
and the simil ~rity of the findings in the t~irte en citi e s have made
it possible to pre s ent a combined r eport of the results.
1./
The citi e s are : Atlanta, G~orgia; Baltimore, Maryla~d; BridGeport, Conne cticut; :Bu tt e , Montana; Ch icago, Illinois; Detroit,Micl:.igan; H0ust on, Texa s; Manchest ~r, New Hampshire ; 0::1al1a,
Hebraska;
Pa t e rsor., 1;ew J ersey; St, Loui s , Miss ouri; San Fra;1cisco, Califor:1ia;
Wilk8s- Barre , Pennsylvania.
Digitized by
Prepar ed by
Susan M. Shephe rd
unde r the supe rvision of
A. Ross Eckle r, Chi ef,
Spe cial InqQiri e s Se ction
NORTHWESTERN UN VERSI TY- - - - - - - - '"'
Original from
RTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- i-
8702
An
average of
28 pe rcent of t he
made in the t hir-
t':' t::'.: . .:,.s si bnmen t s
t een ci t i es where survey s we r e conduct e d d id not r esu l t i n p l aceme nt s
of worke rs on W. P ...A. p r o j e cts.
Tho
11-Tl.SUCCcs s ful assignments Ya ri e d from
15 pe r ce nt of t l1e tot a l in Hous to!l,
Manche s t e r , and Omal1a , to 48 pe r cen t
in Pa t e r s on .
In none
of t he cit i e s, howeve r,
did the numb e r r e f u s ing t o work wi t nou t jus tifi able r eason excee d one
pe rcent of t he s ampl e , and i n t he
surveys i~ e i ght of the ci t i es t he r e
was no in s t an ce of a r e f us9,l whi ch
coul d be classe d as .mjustifiab l e .
The ca s e s . of un,jus tifi 2d. r efusal i n
all t he cit i es ave r age d l oss t han
one - he.lf o:(' one pe rc en t of t :no unsucce s sful r e f e rrals , while , i n r e l ation to t he t ot ~l numb e r of ass i gnmen ts ,tho se whi ch we r e un j ustif i ab l y
r e fu se d cons ti tut e d on ly one i n a
t hou.s and.
1
Willingne ss t o ITo r k is fur the r
a tt e st od by t he f a ct that mnny clien t s who we r e unable to acc(:) p t a
first a ss i gnme nt f or t empora ry r easons we r e f ound to have t aken a
later a s s i gnme n t .
Mos t of the fai lur 2s to accept
r ef e rra l r esu l te d not f r om any U:."J...willingness t o . wo r k on the part of
t he clien t, but fr om t:ie f o.c t t hat
t he treme ndous t ask of p l a c ing th'.msan d s of µ eedy pe r sons on Works Fr og r am jobs . made i t impossible t o keep
compl ete l y accurate current r e co rds
as to the em1;loyr:ient s t atus , emp l oy~.
abi lity, , o.nJ. home add r esses of ce 1·t i fi e d wo r ke r s .
.A.~ong t hos e who faile d t o a ccept
a ss i gnme nts, an ave r a ge of 3 0 pe rc ent was already e mp lo;red i n p ri vat e
industry and 9 pe r ce n t on ~ . P . A. P..nd
re l i e f proj ects .
Worke rs' pre f e r-,,.
ence f or p r i v at e employment is va.ry
strongly e-.,1de nced by ' t.he s ub s tanti a l p roport i on ( 46 p e r cen t) of the
c ases i n t he p r ivate employme nt c a te gory who r a fus ed W.P.A. assignme nts
ev en t hough t he ir incom8s during the
month ·p re ce c1.ing r eferr al w~r e lowe r
t han the incomes t hey would have r ece i ved had t hey accept e d t he W.P. A.
ass i gnment s .
.An vverage of 27 pe rce nt of t hos e
f ai li ng to a ccept r e f Grra l in t he
t hi rt een citi es did so be cau se o f
phy s i ca l di sab i l i t y; 16 p3 rce nt did
no t r e ce i v e no ti f ica ti on of the ir
assignr~ent; 3 pe rcent r epo rt ed and
were r e j e c t e d by fore men be cause of
phys ical unf i t ne~ s for t he job; 3
pe rce nt r efusod j ob s
which we r e
mar ke dly i nfe r i or to t he i r usual occupa ti ons ; and f or 12 pe rcent t he
f a ilu r es we r e due t o mi s c1c; llan eous
ot he r r aas on s .
The
inq1.1i r i e s in t he t hirteen
cit i e s indi c ~te t h0 s om0 t ype s of
circ'1.lns t an ces a," l d p r ob l em£. as we r e
f ound. in t he t hr ee Ohi o cormnuni ties
s t u a.i ed .
The r e we r e , of cou rse,
va r i a ti on s among the ci t i es , depe nding upon e mp loyment conaiti on s in
p :ciYate indu stry , and upon the suc..ces s with whi ch i n t e r - off ic e cleara..DceG we r e made among t he l ocal r e..li e f ag0n c ies , the W. P. A. di s trict
of:"i ces and. t he emplo;{ment se rvice
offices .
The s tudi es have
c l earl y demonst r ated t hat relie f cli ents a r e ruixious t o taJ,:e 'Je r ks Prog r am jobs , and
t hat t to3e who are n ot will i ng to
wo r ~ are so f ew as t o be of little
or no i mport ance compar ed t o t he
99 . 9 pe rcen t who i7an t j obs and who
t .:i..1..ce t he m whenev;;; r -they are r eason-ab l y able to do s o.
Digitized by
Original from
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
870 2
- 1-
·ro
!'~ -~.S-J~TS FCR F AI:~~ TO .A.CC:S?T .ASS : G2J;,2 :~1'S
W0RXS Pil.GGRAU EM~L0Y!.:.El'?I Ii.J Td I RTEEK CI TIZ~
Twe nty- e i'~ht p e rc e nt o f t he tot ::tl
nu.:1b ::: r of assi gnir.-=n t s t o LP.A. jobs
h a d n o t r e s a lt ed in pl a c ecants a s of
t he d ata s ,/nen t r,e s t ,10.i c, s m:i r e m3.d.e
in the t :n:.. rt een c it i es . Tr,0 po r.c o:1 t age o f u n succe ss f-.11 ass :_~n;::isr. ts was
conside rab ly high~ r t hen the a v e r age
in Det r o it, Sa_~ FraI_c is c o ,anu Pa t a r s on, a nd con side.ra-oly loi:vc r i n Om8.ha
Hou s t on,
an d Manchest e r .
Tab l e I
g i v ? s t he t o tal nu.~b e r o f assi g nr.,e n t s und t Le rnur,be r w·:1 i c!1 bad not
r ~sult ed in p l a c emen.t in each ci t y ,
Tab l e I. Total Ass i 6 rni:i2n t s an d
U1;_succe ss f ,1l As s i g n~ e 7t s in
Thi rt ,;e n Ci ti es.§:
-Tot a l
Un s..1c- P3:rcont Ass i r,::1c e ssf'c1l a::r-~-·
...,- i.hCi t i ~s
me nts
Assibn- succe~·.s mE:nts
f ul
To tn.l
25 2 , 604
59 , 9'98
28
At L:J1 t a
1 2 , l O'clQ/ 2, 422
20
Baltimo r e
5 , 985
1, 268
21
4 , 2oo"Q/ 1, 000
Bri d£eP.ort
24
Butt 6£./
169
Ch icago
95 , 923
22 , 92>7
24
De troit
42 , :347
41
17, 437
~ous t e r&/
1 0, 04.6
15
1, 500
Manches t : o r
1, 758
15
226
6 , 843
0:naha
994
15
Pe.t e r ser.
43
4 , 065
l, 9 G0
SaJl Fr '.'.nci s co
21, 836
46
10, 0 83
St . Louis
7 , 420
32 , 20 0
23
Wilke:; ~rreQ/
14 ,7 94
2 , 560
17
All stu di e s could no t be made s i mult a., eously in t he t hi rt een c it i es ,
but t he d,9.t e on which t he sa.rnpl e w ,:1.s
d r awn li 0s in each c as 8 wit~ i n t no
pe r i od fr om :D0. c ; Mbv r 1 8 ,l '_- 25 t:n·our;r.
J pnuary 31, ~936 .
9_/ A..'1 Rp},r0xirnr~:ior: D"'. sed. on nlact: mc1 t s n l 1.1s uns,1 cces s f u 2. ::,,ss i ,;nm _n ts .
s;__/ To t a l ~s~i 6 nrr. ents no t qv2 il2_tl-:>
f o r Butt e .
9:../ Fi 6 t1r-:)s npfJlY to TT;:1.0 1 2 \7.:2.-~.
d i st ri c t .
g_r-
Vq ri ntions in t he p r opo rti on of
w-i. succ 2::-.s f '.1l -re f e rru s r -:, flec t diff 0 r encL2 i 11 a:.s i 6 nn ,m t r r ·J c cd.ura a.'1d
p r e ct i c ~s in t he sev e r a l
citi e s
r a t heJ' t t:m diff e r e nces in t he r '::' adi nes s o f ,rnrl:e r s t o tcl<:e W. -P . A. j ob s .
I n Ds t:ro i t
t i:e unsu.ccei>sfn l r efe r r ~ls were a s ~ i gh as 41 pc ~c( n t of
al l assignm~ n ts large ly b ( c ~use of
t ~1e ac1..'J i:; t i on o f 2.n EHne r [bni:-y measur e
to spee d ,Jla.c e!Iler. t s .
I n :,ul a cinr;
1 1 , 000 ne r son s o n W. P . A. jobs within
4 3 h0u.r 8 i t was impo ss i b l e t o e limi nate- me chmical e r ::-o r s a.21d ·.msui t ab : e assign~ents .
Diff i cultie s in
ass i g n:ne nt r r oce dr:.. r u ac c oun t f o r t he
h i gh perce nt ages i~ San F r 811c i sc o
a...ri. d Pate r son .
A s a.,p l o o: ap _o r oxi :nata l y 250 u._1s ucc0ssf u l
2.ssir:nnent
c c?..·Jes was
studie d in e2c h c i ty . Si nce t he
t o t a l nu.~o e r o f suc h c ases v a r ie d
f r om c i t y to ci ty , t hi s s amnle cove r e d t ~0 situ2tion ~o r e f u lly in
some c it i e s t hM i n ot Qe r s . Tha r a t i o of th s numb a r i n t ne samp l e to
t h 8 t o t al m;.mb c r 0f unsuc c -.: :s s f ul r E! f P-r r ~l s fo r e aci1 city i s s liown in
·I'::o..b l .,:; II .
TA.b l e II . s ~vn1.. , liY1£ _Rat ios ,_r~.t:- d Fo r
St u u,y o f U::: succe s s f ,11 R,3f P r r~,ls i n
'I'h i rt e an Ci t ics .
Sarnn li ~ Rei.tio
1
in 9
i :1 5
1 i:1 4
All c ases
1 i !: 83
1 i n 70
1 i r~ 6
All car:::s 2!/
Or:1 · ~ ~1~~
1 i, 4
1 i :-i 8
P8t '-' rs o!'l
1 i :r. 40
3 a::i. Fn~.r_ci ~- co
St . Louis
1 i n 30
Wilk"' 3 - 7 ,;, :::-re
1 i n 10
th-'-) Ci ty .
c'ls
e::;.
o·itsi.6..o
1
0
:E.x:ccep
t
:di
Atl ~1.n t 'l
:Sal t i ruo r e
3 ri d[.vp ort
Butte
Ch ic <J.go
Dc: tr,) it
Hoa:~ to"'.
?.~~. r:~ t!-~ ' ~ t t) ~
1
Digitized by
Original from
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
S702
~-.:o st of t~1e 1'1c;.:-.s0 1- s : or f,1ilure
to r1cce-p t 2.ss ism,ent -Pe.11 ivit o three
main c,.1 t e 6 0.r ics :
( l ) al "eady 'r r i gaged in ~ ri·wte e ..F.lo;vff'"n t,o n 1•'i . ? . A .
p roj ects , or o n re li ef j0~ s;(2) f a ilu r e c f , or error s in ,
no ti ficn ti on
pr o ced.1 J.ro; a.nd ( 3)
err;;3,nE:'nt , t empo-
rc:1r y , or rartial , nnem:c l o y-'?.1.,i.li ty .
Of t :1e s r,_• tl:e ;:ro J.-0 11 1.lr ,:; ;:i.dy emp lo yed 11
was the l !l.rce st . The follo wi:1.g table
g ives tr.e rc, rce n ta~e s of the s amnle
for e3ch city acc or ding to r e 2so n
.fo r failur e to acce'lt a.ssi 6 nmen t.
1
1
Tabl e III .
F :: r cent Di s tri·oi.::. tio n of Lhs·.1.ec ::: s s ful Refen'al s
i n Tl,i r tc e n Ci ti e::: , Cl e.s s ified b:v Rec,so r.
for F -1..i lure
0
0
+h
(1)
ro
-t::
Reasons
~
h
::i
E;
r.,
•rl
,,
.µ
s::;
0
~
ro
(l)
rl
+'
.µ
0
·rl
-t;
_,
_I )
0
)
,- µ.) ..c:u
ro
....,
CQ
p:i
-----. - - - - - - - - - -- - - --rl
•r'
(I)
0
h
0
(I)
h
h
(/]
(/]
::-,
0
~
- - --·-
h
(l;
0
s::
ro
~
- -- -- -
p:)
ro
(/]
...c
(1
0
s::
.µ
~
f"-•
,J
~
...c
s
C
·
-
.
-
I
(/]
.
c"!
.µ
if.)
(!)
_,,,
(I)
rl
----------·-- ---
-
----
Totc1l l lll SU C CP. ::_, $ f·:cl 1·efer r als
100 l JO 1r:o 1 0-'.) 1 0,) 10() lG) 10() 100 1 00 1 0() l OC l C.J 100
r,i::
30
P r i-..r13te enr,lo ynen t
1 6 lG- co 20 1 6 36 45 20 15 35 2 4 G ....- ·t'J
,...,
.
,
r,
(:
6
Alr e ndy o n ',1 . P . A.
2 19
3
G
4
9
G
21
G
6
3
,...,
L_t
1
c::;
5
0
1
4
On r e li Pf ··mrk
G
1
1
:s
'
*
*
Not i fi ,..,,:, ti on d iffi c11 l 16
7 17 1 3 35
6
ti e s
2Z2 1 5 1 3 1 8 11
6
31
Te m:,or ~,.r i l;r une:nrl1 oy14
5 12
at l e
4 24 1 4 20 11
8 27
6 15
1 8 2L1
P e r mPne "1tl;v .1.c1em~o loyc1 bl e
5 21
:s s 1 3 E 10 10 11 9 3 6 3 , 8
J
<l.
5
7
2
6
3
"±
5
2
P2.r t ially u n e ~:r l~·e"·b le
8
9
As si 6 n <;d, o c c1.10;:, t i or. . Jii,'"':.J.~ ....,
4
1
3
4
--±
6
2
2
1
k e dly i nf e rior to u2 1.1al ·l
C
.,
,3
,;
l '.)
5
?
3
6
Re j c ct t~ d by f or em,~n
c 2
l
Relief f;r e rttl y e~-::ceE-c:.e d
LL
J_
l
1
4
1
3
':l . P . A. WP.C,8
I±
1
l
1
l
1
2
1
Lack of skill'.' o,: tools *
*
*
.,
,_
1
1
1
Distance fro;r. .:r o Ject
*
*
* 7 *
4:
l
2
l
l
2
1
Un2blf• t o l ,:::1-r.::. 110:n;:;
*
* *
* - *
,..,
;..
2.
l
1
l
1
l
Assignme nt t· r ro r
1
1
'±
*
r,
7
1
l
G
1
1
In j nil or ins t i t 1_,_ t i o n
* * * * l
1
D, ce~ s ed
l
2
*
*
* J_
,;:
--:r
1
1
1
1
l
l
l
Pr o s ··ec t of p::.'i V:.tE- .i c ·o
*
*
l_
1
1
1
Unwilling- to ,vor :·~
*
*
i:) 11
5
4
t3
s 0 :::, t... 11 ,,I
Mis. ~e l 12. '!.e or·.. s
1
6
3
0
r,
')
t."_,
.
0
*
- -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - ------·
--
Digitized by
Original from
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
·~-
--·-
c702
- 3-
An averac.:e of 30 -1,e r cer:.t of those
in te r1ieHed could n o ~ a .:::c~ p t W. ? .A.
assi gnmen ts bec •.1se t h gy we r e p rivately em:r: lo yea.l .
Thi c per ccnt a ge
vari ed from city to ci t y acco r d i ng
to the trends of s mu loy~ent in lo cal
indu st r iA s ,
t :--1e lo cal
ass i ~n~11e n t
p r ac t i ce .. , and the c·.1rrc nt co.ndi tion
of the r e cords f ro m wh i ch a ss i gnme nts ws re made , Only 15 ~e r cent of
the s cimple ir. Omaha ha d J; r i vate ~mp loyme nt at t he t ime of r e f e r ral ,
while in :Bridgeport t h.'.. s gr o·.1u constituted 6 8 :pe r cen t of t l1e s Arn:qle .
-The high pe r centage in Br id~eno rt
r epr es ents n ot on l y i ncr e as e d ernu l o ymen t in lo cal iLdus tri es b'.1t a l rn an
acr:::umulati on of p riv2+,e e ;n'.ll oym8nt
cases r emaining on t h e re cords fro m
which assignme~ts we~e made , des pi t e
p r e ~ i ous r emov ~l s from t h e reltef
roll s . In Ba l timor e , wne re t h e p ~rcenta~e of t h os e fAil i ng to r ep o rt
b esa'.lSf' of pri VP.t e employ men t was
onl y J.c p ercent , it ha d been u o ssible
to ma.ke a p r eliini nary contact with
t he cli en t or his f a ;:1 ily to l e a r n
whethe r or not he was already ~rnpl a y e d .
Ir1 t lii s way m;rny o f tho se
p r i vat e ly employed were taken fror;i
t he 1.l i sts be::or ,7; as s ign ;nent s we r e
made'.
1
The p r i v 2.t e l y e m}: lo ;f ed ,k rs Gns
wh o c ou ld not acce n t Wor 1<s Pre gram
emr, lo ymen t were fo r
t~1e r;iost ,:, cirt
not on r e li ~f at t h-s time of r ef .=- r r ::i.l .
In or der to e ncour age r eli t: f
c l ients t o a c 0e~ t ~r ivRt 0 e mplo y me nt,
t:1.e foll o wi Lg ins t ruc t ion s had b1.., e n
issued in l e tt e r ~ .P . A.-- 29 , dat e d
Sep t e mb e r 4 , l ':105 f r om 3ar ry L. r.:i:orkins , Admi n istrator to al l
Stat G
Works Proe;r 1:: ss Administrat i ons : 11 The
ce r ti f icati on of a case whi ch r eceivt; d reli ef L1 Ma~r 1905, or thereaft e r, is n ot to b e cancelled if t he
ca s e is clo sed. because a perso n i nclu d e d wit h in the r e li e f group has
sec-ir ed r;rivate em]}l oyment . 11
This
typ e of ca se co ns titu t e d the b ulk of
th e p rivate ly employed
g r oup in
those c i ties whe r e t h e pe rcen t age
r e f ,_,.s b .g W. P . A. jobs b t:cau s e of pri va t e emplo ym~m t wa s high .
In Br id.ge:nort and Houst on 84 nnd
54 pe r cent ,
r e sr e c t i7e ly,
of
t he
wo r ke r s no t ac c en ting r e f e r rals bs cause o f :priva t e e r.1p loyrnent wt- r o not
on r el i e f d·.1ring t he mo nth p rior to
ref 6rr a l .
No t a ll ~ases r eporting
can b e loo ked
orivPtd ernp loymFn t
up on a s no n- r elie f
cas es , h owe ver .
In llan.ches t e r 21 out of thG 71 r uf u sing r e ferrc1.l
b e' caus e of p ri vate
Gmpl oy r:JGr:.t we r e '"""gaged in s eas onal
v1ork , wbiJ.e t h e ot ht- r 50 r.Lad t empor a r y J o os ,
t:he i nse~uri ty of which
is o tt cs t '-- d by the fac t tha t almo st
ev0ry mont:1 t he s 0 n 0oule finJ. it no ce s sn.r y to a s k for some ty-p co o f r o7.. i Ef.
W. P . A. _Emn l_Q,Ymtm t
Assignmun t s Der ~ some ti rae s s e nt
to p ers on s wno we r ::) al r eady worki:1g
on t11e Dr 1g r a rn , nnd who t n8 r to fo r e
could no t accep t 2no the r a ssi g nm Lnt.
r h8 nu mber of Sc.i. Ch c,,.ses i s not s i g,1 ifi :::ant c:xce'l t
i n t wo ci t it:, s v111er e
s re ci a l
ci r cum st "'nce s nc co 1.1nt for
t·t; e s i t \:.£>.ti on . L.1 Atl;:,.ab., t he closing of tho l ocn l r 0lief offic e , and
th e n.tt c::1p t
to ulac1:; t hou sr;nds c f
P<:: Op l. e
Ll •?a f e t'.' Q," )TS r c sul t c J in a
con,.;,;e:s tio1 i n th 2 W. P . A.
ofi"ice
w:.icl1 u r e v _:1tc.·d '.cc cc:.ra t t: ch e cking of
"-S~it)::.s d 1 is t .; .
Cons c q1.1 c, n t ly , many
1._/
It is not ~wo rt hy t hat
12 , 5 38 , or 35 rb rcent , o f the r e l h f case closinr,s in t he t hir t e e n ci ti e s duri :1g Oc : ob 0r w1c;r e made "9vs s ibl e "a, y p riva t c
The numb e r of closin:; s duE: to n r ivA..t e e m-o lo ym.an t in No vemb e r
e mpl oymen t.
incr e:-:1 sed to 1 3 , S23 , t hus sugge s t ing t ha t t h e flov, of r e ] i cf p c=- r sons i nt o
This i :?:1dicat 0 s
p r ivate empl oy 1.1ent continued i n subs t an ti a l p · op or tion .
that p r ivat e s:nplo ymc nt as a cc=1:.1se o f ur.succ t.. ssful r e fe rr a ls is not over emphasized i n t he s amri lt:-s dr awn i n tl1is st-;.idy .
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perso ns r eceived two as~ignm~nts , and
boca-u.se t h,ey could c ccert only one ,
we r e r ecor ded e.s havi11g failed to
r eport on the ot .1 er . '.1:lms , when int er viewed , they were fo~nd to be
alr eady wo r king on ) I'O.jects .
In
P a t e r s on , dup1i '.!Bt i on of aE.signmen t
sli ps r e~.1lted fr or the fact that
dur,li cate certific8,t io Y1 sli:9s had.
b e~n issued t o s~eed the hu.ndlin6 of
placements .
P. elief Work
.A.n ave r age of
3
p e r cent of the
persons intervi 8~ed had f'liled t o
r '?po rt becaus1:: t :-iey were work i)jg on
r~li e f p ro jects . Cve r
one half of
t ~1em were in the Ci-rili?.n Conse rv at ion Corps , whi l e mo~ t of tt2 othsrs
we r e o n F . E .R . A, ·o ro.jects .
Some excepti ons had been ~aJG to all ow for
the com~leti on of F . E . B . A. Drojec ts
before worke r 3 we r e tren sferr e d to
W.P.A, wor k , and , t i,e r e for t:: , a f ew
cases o ccur r <:od i.1 v/nich worki=i r s d id.
no t respond to VT . P • .A .
assi,;nment s
bAcause they had ot:.~ r r elie f empl oy1'le nt . The r!l' o no r tion of .such
case 3 was ~mall in s v e ry city except
:S;.1tt ~ , where it accom:teci for 15 per cent of the u.r1suc-:;essfu1
r eferrals
investigat e d .
T~e reli e f noculatio~
is a ~o~ile
gr o1.1p . Fr eq1.1ent c~:an:es of rc:;idenc>::
arc, Rmong its :::h:_,Tc1.c".t:;1·isti c s. P0nc2 ,
many of the as si~11mer, ts s ent to r eclients throu~h bhe mail s did
l ie f
not r ecJ ;)h the m-- c-i t ht: r 'b ec?u sc: tl:i::y
had mov.::: d or co J.} d. 110t be locat ,: d ,
In a f'mc.11 proporti,:; ;1 of thf: c,scs
t.he noti ·:::e of
1·'-'L rrc1.l
1:~,d not
r ea c.hc d the., clic.,t vVc.1 tho 1 :gh t:t-.8
a ddr e ss was correct .
cnst.::s in wh ich notific2t io n
to r ea sh th~ wo rker consti -
t ute d an aver2ge of 1 6 per cen t of
t h e smnp} €; s in tne thirteen ci ti es .
The Bn,l t irJOr e , tiO'lS ton , and WilkesBarre data show that not ificati on
diffi~ult ies occurred i n l ess than 6
percent of t::-.e cases ,·1hi1 Eo the :r.: ro b l e m .?.. s :-:=umt.d n<1ct. gr 6ate r p r oporti ons
in Atlant e: , 1-.'.e.nche ste r, and St . Lo 1is
wh,.: r e c.2 pe rcent , 31 pe rcent , and 35
percton t r 8 s ,,ectivel;/ o f the -.insuccessful re f ,sr rals we re a ttric·<1 ted to
t his c2~se . Tne . closing of t h e reli e f office in Atlanta comn l icatt.:d.
tho n ot ifica tion :pro cedur e in t llat
city .
Onl:r by car e ful tr acing of
the; 1 :)0 c;:is 2 s in which ad.dr ess discr ep anci e s occurr ed , we r e int e r v i ewe rs able t o r educe to 44 the numbE. r
of cas LS t h~ t could n ot b e lo cate d
for intEcrri e,, .
1
Unempl oyaoili ty
An overag0 of 27 percen t of the
:r.: ~rson s i n t ~r vi cwed i ~ t he t hi rt ee n
ci ti es h ·~d t.e E: n unab l e: to acce pt assignmants b~causc of some d~fr ee of
unc;ml_)loyability. In t rro citie s the
proDort ions 1•1hi ch Wt.; r ~, 11110mplo~-2.bJ.e
1:.cr c: l.lnus'::.al\'f le.r ,';0 ; in
'Balti mor e
E/ l ~e r cen.t , ,-_nd in Omaha 40 -r, ,.:rcent ,
f a il e d to ~ccept W.P. A. jobs b 2 crr1sEo
of phys ica~ d i sabil ity .
The 27 pe r cen t
incD1ded pe r son s
i';no wcr0 tt:m-por~r ily i ll or d i sabl t; d ,
som0 w;.:;,o ,;er e p:i r 7a.rn:.ntl:r '.m f i -t. fo r
,, o:r:-c , nn d othE::rs ·,1:10 we r l; E::,rD loyablt.
\•;i th hc1,.dic'lu s .
In ge!'.E: .ral , the
ffi.1'.!lOt., r of C.:lSt. S '.Vi th t ernr orr,r ;f di 2 0biliti6S ~xct:0dcd t ho se ~e r man~ntly
u n employ~~l0 . Da t ~ f r o~ Brid ~epo rt
E~ t t~ , and Slu ston did n ot indic qtc
,.h2 t riroc::o :r t io n of t h-., 'J.nt:1::in l oyr:b lc
g r oup \'::,.s ,c,c t ';,al J J t.;m:o lo:.raoJ c with
hr,: 1di ca~s .
L'lncht:::::ter dc,t ,~. s:i:-,owcd
tr.a t t:hl;. ~ })•.:. r -:: ....1.t -.,,,1 0 \'Ha r t> only
f:> r tiA. 7 l y t;re,}) l o;{P.O l c h ':.O. bt:;en rni.11
':lor kers "t1ld ·,:er 0 ·mfi tt e d :" or hc:~ivy
c,u t - r.'):,i r l ," b0r .
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'.rhe ca s es listed as 11 r t:jected by
for emen 11 "'.re , of
c ourse , nei tber
f 3.il-1r es to r e ,o rt or ref,1suls to
work .
s~ch cas 0 s , erronsously re~ort ed as r e f us~ls , aver n -;e d 3 pe r cent of the se,1::_o l-2 in the thirteen
citi es ; in fo 1.1r citit:s such cases
did no t OC-:!Ur
in t he s211nles d.i'ElWD
for study . 'Ihe de '.:i i:te of m::ir,y r el i e f
clients to wo r k in sni tP of phys ica. l
h,mdicaps is ·e-;-ide:1cei by t he fact
that most of t he cases r ejected by
for emen a t the J:rojec t we r e phys i c~lly unfit for work .
Assigned Occu.,.,atio n !,;ar;r:::dl:/
Inf crior to Us-12.l
An ave r age of 3 per 8crt of thc unsuccessful r eferr 0 1s involved refu s als of Works Fro [rt'ni ,jo·os [lt o ccup ,::cti o ns
r!1~rb=:. dl::
i11f t: r i or to tr1e
usual o ccu·o::i_tions of th"' wo r~ t; r s . No
s·.1ch i ns t .<:,11ce OC r' .1rred in t he St .
Lo uis s .c-1mple , while 6 pcr cent of the
unsuccess f ul r eferr?ls in Omah.J. w~ r e
for this cause .
In mnny of tn~
citi es r e l ief cli en ts had a t f i r s t
bec;n encour ~,gt· d. to r 0fuse jobs b e lo ·;r
their o ccupe t ion2l sk ill un t il proj ec ts could b e r rovi~e d on which
the y could be nssigned a t t h~i r
usual oc cupat ion .
1
With the dt;velonm0nt of t h~ Wo r ks
Pro gro.m , O}}:portuni ti e s for use of
skills 9-r e be i r.g incr ,<'t s"-d , but in
the m•.: : 211 ti me wo r k8rs l-,o_v\:; Oc;en u r r:\:; d
t o 8-C':'.ept 2.11y n.ssign:nE-nt ·-1.n t il t b"y
CD..n b'" tr 2.n3ferr ,-i t'.:l v:o r k fo r v:hich
t ht::y m-e b E-tt(:;r fitt e d .
In n,~ co rcinnce wi t h t his nolicy , s 0ven of tha
13 worke r s in C~ic· g o who r ~f usc d
job s b8low t he. ir o ccuµ,:: t i on :>,l rr>tir.g
had , nt t he ti~ e o f t he interview ,
~ccepted S(:;Cond us:;ign~en ts . A diff erent situation h~ d develo ~~ d in
San :E'r::rnci sco .
Ther e t he nw7lbe r of
religf clients r efu s ing j obs infEr i or t o thei r usu r·.l O 2Cl:.D2 t io n s l1ad
incre ,"'- sed ,v i t h tr..e r ise i n t he n1.1mbe r of pro j ~cts off Eri ng skil led
j ob s becw.1se the sk illed worke rs
f enrt-d tnn t they wo 1-1.ld n ot be t r nnsf e rr 2d if thtcy ri cceptt, d e.n ass ignment t o u~ski ll t::d wo r k .
In 6 ithe r
cnsc: , howeve r , t he nurn .oe r
of such
r e f us :1.l s was tau small t o b e of
gr02t s i gni fi cance .
Di ~t~~c e From Pro j ect
In ?-.1t t e 2nd Omo.ha slightly mor e
t h~n 2 pG r c~nt o f t h~ worke r s i nt c r vit~ed h~d f~il ed to r euo rt for nssignm0n ts -b l· Causo t he p roj ec t ·.ve. s
i.., XCt::..ssively f ::r from thei r homt~ s , :md
tr ~nsuo r t ~ ti on co sts would hrv0 ser i ously r educed t he ir incomes .
All Oth~ r Rc~ sons
In six cities a few worke rs i nt ervi ewed h,,d r s fus e d W. P . A. jo b:J.
bect:.'J.38 th ,~ w,~ge s wou ld h::-ve bt:::en
l ess thnn t~ei r r 0li~ f in c ome . As a
pE:r::enk•ge of the tot:'c l Sr'mY)le , tn.ese
C-7.S· s in u·ch of t '. 1s s ix citi es r:c r e
.-.1;-io 1 mtinf t o 4 pc;r c,.m t
11nir.iport"'.11 t,
in ~2ltim0 r c 2nd Jilker - B~rr L, 3 p ~r cen t in D0t r o it nnd one n~ rcent in
ChicRgo , Omnhn , !'nd St . Louis .
In
suer-. in s t rmccs the ,'!.v er n 6 e f['JTli ly t o
'be sur,-_c ortsd co n sist e d of eight member s , Pnd the r oduc tion i n income
r csultin,:s from !'.ccu~ t P.n c e of a W. P.A.
job woul d
have b ~0n s~bstanti al ,
r aneing fro m 10 to 65 ~~ r cant .
I n Jnltimo r e , wor ~a rs who r e fusud
W. P . A . j '.1 b s for t his r t:·n ..; on w<:-re undo~b t 0dly influ~nc~d by t h r- ~o li cy
of t i1e Br,l t iinc,1·2 Emcr :;G nc;y RE- li e f
Co;.1ni scion r/hi ch , 1.1p to Nov,:,rilbe r 21 ,
1 935 pe r mitt~ d r Lli c f clients to r uf us~ W. P . A. j ob :., i: t:ie r:!'gc offc. r 8 d
w~s l C p~rce nt be lo w the i r r e li ef
bu ir:c: t . .U t how;h t Lc -c,o 1 icy had. hcJ'n
ct.·1l1g- d n t t:ie ti :i1L thE: study 1 ✓ ;' S
mr1dc , t~1e r c- W".S 1.1ndnubtt.dly 3. t endency on th~ pnr t nf cli ents tor ~fus~ f or
t his r ~nson becnus : s~ch
r cfus ~ls had y r evio~s l y b eGn ~1lo·,:ed .
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Re f usal s of j:Jbs because accept a n ce woul d have : ,e:,m t tl-1'~ s'lcr if i ce
o f p,-=:,rt-ti mE- S1"l.-,lo y::ie nt w~1ich , with
sur:,il cme n t a r y re} ie:f , D:t' 0v i cle d a n
income h i ghe r
thrn the W. P . A. wage ,
we r e f ew exce c t in o ~ah a and ~ilk esBa r re , where L1ey consti t u t ed 4 a.nd
8 p er cen t
r e s pe cti ve l y of t h e ca se s
stu di ed .
It was fo und t ha t s ome pe r s o ns
a s s i gr.e d and no t r epo r ting we r e no
lo nge r members of r el i ef hou s eh old s .
Thi s ,~as t ~e si t ;_1atio n i n 4: u e r cPn t
o f t he cas e s in the P ate r son and St .
Lo uis sam-::i l es , ·:v:1.ile
i t did r...o t
o ccur a t all i n the s~rnT l es dr awn i n
f i ve ci ti es , and e.ccount e d f or 2 percen t or l ess in the o t ~e r cities .
j
Lack of to o l s o r cf s~ il l nae~ed
fo r the as s i g~e d j ob was t ~e r eason
fo r a f ~w f a ilu r es to 2ccsn t r e f er r als .
Othe r r eas ons given by
worke r s int e rvie i:ed in t l1e v~ r ious
ci t i s s incl ud~ : u n ,1-ol e to l e a ve de pende nts , a s si;~e d incorr e c tly , in
scb oo l , i n j ail or ins t itu ti on , cle ce ase d , :=tnCL n ::--osr, ect of priv,, te emp lo y,nen t .
I n eig~t ~iti~s na r eas o n ~iven
co11.l d b e cal ::..ed cl ear ~.y 'mj 1.1s t ifi able or ind.i ce.,t ive of um,illingno s ::;
to wo r ~ .
In no city did more than
o ne pe r ce n t of t ie re rso n s
i~~0r v i ewed r efus e assi~n~ents wi t hou t
.j us t i f ic8 t ion .
I nt s r vie ~ers i~ ea ch city we r o
instr uc t ed t o see~ i3de n en0ent v e r i -
f i ca t ion of the r eas ons g i ven by t ~e
wor"lrers , but on the ave r age tb.e v2.l i di t y of t ·1e reason wa s doubte d in
o nl y 5 De r ce~ t of the ca se s . Ho we ve r, ·
spec if ic f 2.cts t o subs t ant i a t e t hese
d o1.1b ts cou ld r a r e l y be s e cu i1 e d .
In
Bal t ie1ore and Ch i ca go , wh e r e t h e
g r o1.lp f ai li ng t o acce9 t as s i gnment
b ecE,u s e of unern~:- loyab ili t y wa s la:ci:;e ,
16 e,nd. 1 3 pe r cen t resp ec tivs l y of
t he ca ;;;e s 1•:e:ce doub t ed. . F o·nev cr , in
mo s t cases th -:, c l aims of unein-rlo ~lab il i t;v we r e sup-oo r t t::d by rned i cc,l
CE:rt i f i Cc.J tes .
In any event , · do ub ts as to t h e
j ust ifi c"!.ti on o f f a ilu r e s t o t nJrn Wi
P . -~- jobs a~ p l y to 3, r el at i v0ly
sme ll pro r or tio n o f t h e
s m1pl e .
Worl-:e r s r,h o ,,,e r e :1.l r e2. dy wo r k i ng on
W. P . A. or who did no t r ec~ ive t he
o. ssi g-n::1E: nt s l i p s , or who r eDor t e d
2.nd r:e r e r e j 8C t c d b y t he for t;rr.an cn.n
not t o s~id t o have r e f us e d ~ . P . A.
jobs [lt nll . ifo r l-::e r s e ngaL:0 d. i n pr i ,r~tG
err.pJ. oyr;ien t or physi c:i lly di sr, bh,d co 1 1l d no t accept r s.: f e r r -1.l;
the i r f a i l ur~ to d o s o i s en ti r ely
just i fi,,,h l e .
pe r ce nt of
The f ~c t t h ~t in 68
the cases int e r v i ewed t h':l incoue
f ro n t;.; . P . A. erripl ,)yrne n t 1°.oul d li::we
be en greRter
t i2n t1.1e in come wh i ch
t he ~or ~E: r s h~d t ee n r e ceiving d.uri~g t he mo n t h u r i or to r .:; f er r aJ i nt~G mRj ori ty of
di~~t ~s th2t fo r
,2.ses ". t v,as '"'· s;-,,cr if i c0 t o b e 11.11,-:,.bl -.:, t o 2.cce,) t t he W. P . A. job . Uni er
such condi ti on s it is not l i ke l y
t h".. t v:ork0rs would i nvt·n t excuses to
n.Yo1cl nl:=i.ccmen t o n the Works P r 0gr J.m .
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