Image provided by: Friends of the Sandy Public Library; Sandy, OR
About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1975)
12 - S A N D Y (O ra.) POST T h u « .. Fab. 6. 1975 (Sac. 1) les Schwab's 11th Annual 20,000 IN FRI! B i i f CIRTIFICATKS Redeemable at any maat countar in the U.S. Offer Includes Beef Certificete W ith tha purchata of 2 naw pickup or psttanger liras Any Tire In Stook! Beef Certificate W ith tha purchase of 4 naw passangar or pickup tiras. Beef Certificate W ith tha purchase of 4 passenger or pickup retreads. LORRAINE WILLIAMS says she's learned a lot from co- workers like Ken Smith who helped train her for her job as potUner at Reynolds Metals Troutdale plant, which began hiring women in hourly jobs a year ago. 'My m other the p o tlin e r People at W ork' at Reynolds Shirlee Werschkul says it’s , laughed. Of 900 hourly plant employes nice not to wear nylons. Shirlee works in receiving not counting office help, U are and m aintenance in the women, two of them on sick . Reynolds M etals warehouse leave. “ The women a re good where plaid fannel shirts, jeans workers," said Troutdale plant and boots are de rigeur “Before I came here the m anager C .D . A lexander. heaviest thing I ever lifted was “They’re doing just fine.” T hree women work in a typewriter,” the former of maintenance. one on the potline fice manager laughed She said her co-workers are and five as hourly laboratory just great b u she admitted technicians. Reynolds Metals they were a bit leery at first first began hiring women as employes at its “It was mouth on the kneecap hourly type of thing at first,” the only Longview , Wash., plant in woman in the department said. spring 1973. “The first one at Longview "The hardest part was letting but now the men know you’re not just was a curiosity, doing it for appearances but for th ey’re just tre a te d like the same reason they’re doing everybody else," a Reynolds it—you like to eat just like they spokesman said. do. Of the women h ired at Shirlee had something in mind Reynolds, three quit and two besides eating were terminated, according to She and her career Army B ill B rad ley, personnel husband will soon have four representative in charge of the kids going to college. affirm ative action program for Brent Dickerson is a senior at hiring minorities and women at Centennial High School where the aluminum reduction plant. Paul is a junior. Daughter One quit because of the Nancy is attending Mt. Hood physical labor, he said. Commiaiity College and a son, “ In this type of industry Richard Werschkul, is entering women started applying only MHCC * last y e a r ," B ra d le y said. “The kids used to call me ‘My “ Industry hasn’t had enough Mother the Steelworker' but experience to judge how they’ve kind of outgrown that,” ’ th e y ’re doing. When w e’re Shirlee, who's been working at hiring, everybody is free to Reynolds since last January apply. E verybody 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 orrain e Williams, whose job is to reline the electrolytic cells in the pots I t ’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 in atio 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, “ but 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 at Reynolds Metals Troutdale plant. Women can do any job their minds say their body can do. according to the Sandy mother of three. n v u iv ii ssasu a w a a s it c ^ a IU it j 11 ... There’s a lot to learn in the re p a ir job, which requires sturdy clothes and goggles. “ I ’m still learning,” Lorraine M id Women willing to learn jobs formerly held only by men will _ . Wrap-around Tread Design! .« But more and more the proverbial Me" , l W')rk * ‘u } * • * • J® * * replaced by People at Work as equal op portunlty , And at Reynolds Metals a fealher duster shares shelf ’ P * 3' wilh met>l castings, Seiberling Highway Servie probably get a pay boost. " It ’s hard to find time for Industry sources reveal that c le a n in g ," S hirlee said last year the averag e cheerfully. “You never get aluminum worker in the North- away from that.” Youth e m p lo y m e n t fo rm s m a ile d Over 10,000 application forms or the 1975 YCC program have >een mailed to Oregon junior ind senior high schools and to ttate employment offices, state ■ecruiter Tom Sullivan an- lounced today Oregon youth between the tges of I5and 18 are eligible for tmployment in the federally a program of conservation em ploym ent and en- vironmental education Hiring will be based on a random drawing from all applications, Persons wishing to apply for YCC should contact their school principal or counselor or the local State Employment office for application forms N E E D A SITTER? TRY THE CLASSIFIEDS BATTERIES I«« , ¿aw ... B ank A miricaro PO TLIN IN G 18 the job of ] Williams, who has worked at I Metals since they began hiring ■««riy a year age. I t ’s a job that I * • - f m r > •f * much more money than when she worked hi a department stare, as a janitor and 390 f . Bornildo, Grotham 61 7304 31 02nd, Portland 73 Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon. thru Sst.
