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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1975)
12 - S A N D Y (Or«.) POST Thurs., Feb 6, 1975 (See 1» Les S chw ab 's l l f h A n n u a l BEEF BONANZA! 20,000 IN FBBB BBBF CERTIFICATES Redeemable at any meet counter in the U.S. FREE m 2> | k Offer Inoludes Beef Certificate Any Tire In Stook! W ith the purchase of 2 new pickup — or passenger tires. FREE Tour Clioioe of Beef! Beef Certificete »10 W ith the purchase of 4 new passenger or pickup tires. FREE Beef Certificate »5 BEEF! W ith the purchaM of 4 passenger or pickup retreads Close-Out! L O R R A IN E W IL L IA M S »ay» »he’« learned • lot from co. workers like Ken Smith who helped train her for her Job MULTI MILE CUSTOM a« potliner at Reynolds M etals Troutdale plant, which began hiring women in hourly Jobs a year ago. 4 P ly M ylon 825 x 14 855 x 14 'My m other the p o tlin e r' 'People at W o rk ' at Reynolds Shirlee Werschkul says it’s nice not to wear nylons. Shirlee works in receiving and m aintenance in the Reynolds M etals warehouse where plaid fannel shirts, jeans and boots are de rigeur. “Before I came here the heaviest thing I ever lifted was a typewriter." the former of fice manager laughed. She said her co-workers are Just great but she admitted they were a bit leery at first. “It was mouth on the kneecap type of thing at first,” the only woman in the department said. “The hardest part was letting the men know you're not just doing it for appearances but for the same reason they’re doing it—you like to eat just like they do. Shirlee had something in mind besides eating. She and her career Army husband will soon have four kids going to college. Brent Dickerson is a senior at Centennial High School where Paul is a junior. Daughter Nancy is attending Mt. Hood Commixiity College and a son, Richard Werschkul, is entering MHCC. “The kids used to call me My Mother the Steelworker' but they've kind of outgrown that,” Shirlee, who’s been working at R e y n o ld s s in c e la s t .la m ia p v laughed. Of 900 hourly plant employes not counting office help, 11 are women, two of them on sick leave. . * " T h e women a re good workers,” said Troutdale plant m anager C .D . A lexander. “They're doing just fine.” T hree women work in maintenance, one on the potline and five as hourly laboratory technicians. Reynolds Metals first began hiring women as hourly employes at its Longview , Wash., plant in spring 1973. “The first one at Longview was a curiosity, but now th e y ’re just treated like everybody else,” a Reynolds spokesman said. Of the women hired at Reynolds, three quit and two were terminated, according to B ill B rad ley, personnel representative in charge of the affirm ative action program for hiring minorities and women at the aluminum reduction plant One quit because of the physical labor, he said. “ In this type of industry women started applying only last y e a r,” B rad ley said “ Industry hasn’t had enough experience to judge how th e y ’re doing. When w e’re hiring, everybody is free to sd d I v . Evervbodv takes a physical examination and, like anyone else, the women have to make it on their own.” Joan M iller started out at Reynolds operating a jackhammer, but now she’s a janitor in the maintenance department. " It would take exceptional women to do some of the jobs,' the mother of Heather, Heidi and John R. I I , believes If a Reynolds employe wants to change jobs, he or she signs up for the job when a vacancy is posted. The jobs are allotted on the basis of the seniority system. Joan, who is a member of the safety and insurance com mittee of the union, said her logger husband was the one who told her Reynolds was hiring women. " I think what kinds of jobs women can do is all in their frame of mind—what your mind feels your body is capable of doing,” she said. “This is no job to coast on—this mop gets heavy." The Sandy woman, who says she likes to do something besides being a homebody, has been working at Reynolds since Jan. 21. Formerly she had worked fo r T im b e rlin e Trailers. “ I did have to make myself a sign Woman Janitor Working because sometimes men were barging into the restroom while I was cleaning it,” she laughed “ This job is a lot of fun,” Joan said, then added, “ I don't think I could work in the potrooms, though.” One woman who likes w orking there is L o rrain e Williams, whose job is to reline the electrolytic cells in the pots It's called potlining. The heavy work is done side by side with men. Accepting a woman in the job was no problem to L o rra in e ’s co worker: “When she came I decided I ’d just wait and see what she did—if she could handle it, it was fine with m e.” At first there’s a sort of reverse d iscrim inatio n to contend with but this usually wears off as the women are accepted as just another worker. "Sometimes at first the men are too gallant and won’t let the women do their share,” a Reynolds spokesman said, "btX this usually works itself out Lorraine said her new job, which she’s had since Feb. 11, is much different from the ones she’s done in the past The mother of Ruthie, 17, has worked in a department store. JOAN M IL L E R started out operating a Jackhammer, but now she's a Janitor a t Reynolds Metals Troutdale p lant Women can do any Job their minds say their body can do. according to the Sandy mother of three. done Janitorial work and west earned »12,440. This la 20 cooked in a rest home. per cent more than wages in " I have a knack for working other m anufacturing In- with my hands,” Lorraine who dustries sews as a hobby, smiled “I Some women will like the heard Reynolds was h irin g , rork and stay; some will not. women and I wanted to try it But more and more the out.” proverbial Men at Work signs There's a lot to learn in the will have to be replaced by re p a ir Job, which requires People at Work as equal op- sturdy clothes and goggles portunity becomes fact “ I ’m still learning,” Lorraine And at Reynolds Metals a said. feather duster shares shelf Women willing to leam Jobs space with metal castings formerly held only by men will “ I t ’s hard to find time for probably get a pay boost. Shirlee said Industry sources reveal that c le a n in g ,” "You never get last year the averag e cheerfully aluminum worker in the North- away from that.” Tax 2.2 4 to 2.43 Wrap-around Tread Design! ...............g t «ufM® Seiberling Highway Service PICK-UP TIRE 700 I IS 6 ply Youth e m p lo y m e n t fo rm s m a ile d Tax 2.77 a program of conservation Over 10,000 application forma em ploym ent and en for the 1975 YCC program have vironmental education. Hiring been mailed to Oregon Junior will be based on a random and senior high schools and to drawing from all applications. state employment offices, state Persons wishing to apply for recruiter Tom Sullivan an YCC should contact their school nounced today. principal or counselor or the Oregon youth between the local State Employment office ages of 15 and 18 are eligible for employment in the federally for application forms. funded program. YCC will provide some 200 N E E D A SITTER? jobs in national forests and T R Y T H E C L A S S IF IE D S other public lands in Oregon in 750 i Id 0 ply Tax 3.60 I I Group 24 mi 36 mo. guarantee BATTERIES $2g37 V 1 Tear Free Replacement Flat Tir» Repair For Ladies I B ank A mericaso P O TLIN IN G IS the Job of Lorraine Williams, who has worked at Reynolds Metals since they began hiring women nearly a year ago. It's a Job that brings In mnch mere money than when she worked In a department stare, as a Janitor and cooking at a rest home, she said. Dee Tear L.8. Credit Flan 390 K. Burnside, Gresham 666-9496 7304 SB 92nd, Portland 777-1447 Open 8 a.m. to 6 p m . Mon. thru Sat.
