Portland Observer, July 31, 1985, Page 7
Labor Dept. study notes
employment opportunities limited
for young Black women
Although teenage »omen ages
16 to 19 have increased their labor
force participation over the past dec­
ade. employment opportunities for
young Black women have been lim it­
ed, according to a new U.S. Depart
ment o f Labor report.
The report, "T h e United Nations
Decade for Women, 1976-1985: Em­
ployment in the United States,"
notes that factors which lim it em­
ployment opportunities for young
Black women include the largely sub­
urban locations o f many new jobs
versus the largely center-city residence
o f Blacks; the trend toward indus­
trial growth in the Southwest versus
the lower propensity o f Blacks to
move to that part o f the country; and
the lack o f education and labor mar­
ket skills o f many young Black wo­
men versus the higher skills levels o f
other segments o f the labor force.
The report notes that women's lack
o f opportunities to obtain work ex­
perience during their teens often result
in their being unemployed as young
adults (ages 20 to 24).
In 1984, the unemployment rate o f
young adult Black females was nearly
three times that o f their white coun­
terparts, worse than in 1975 when
their jobless rate was twice that o f
young adult white women.
M inority young women, particular­
ly Black teens, suffered more severe
joblessness than whiles over the last
10 years and ended the Decade for
Women with higher unemployment
rates than at the beginning. The un­
employment rate o f young women
overall declined marginally.
The 155-page report provides in fo r­
mation on the labor force status o f
women, characteristics o f women
workers, and groups such as women
apprentices, farm women, and labor
union women. A chapter discusses
government activity that impacts on
women in such areas as job training,
retirement income, and occupational
health and safety. Other sections
deal with programs o f the la b o r De­
partment's Women's Bureau and
non-governmental
organizations
during the decade and with prospects
for women in the labor force o f the
future.
Single copies o f the report are avail­
able without charge from the W o­
men's Bureau, U.S. Department o f
la b o r, 2tX) Constitution Avenue
N .W ., Washington, D C . 20210. A
self-addressed mailing label enclosed
with orders w ill expedite handling
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Bob Holmes, right, chairman of the Portland Community Collage
microelectronics advisory committee, conducts a tour of the new
Cascade facilities with, from left. Ebrahim Moshirl. Nsal Naigus.
Lynetts Hanson, Jimmy Jackaon. Lewia Johnson and Mosea Davis.
Intel visits PCC Cascade
Representatives from Intel visited
the Portland Community College
Cascade Campus to see the microelec­
tronics lab, a new clean room for
second year students and other equip­
ment now in place for the new high
technology program where students
are taught how to design, fabricate
and use miniaturized and integrated
circuits.
The lab is the "envy o f other uni­
versities" according to microelec­
tronics instructor M ilt Monmer.
Much o f the state o f the art equipment
has been donated by Oregon high
tech firms and other organizations
eager to see that Oregonians are
trained to work in the stale's growing
number o f "h ig h tech" companies.
The two-year program and its
equipment offer students hands-on
training that, in the past, has been
Grassroots efforts successful
The most successful sewer petition
effort in recent years w ill be cele­
brated when Commissioner Dick
Bogle joins Argay residents for a
groundbreaking ceremony at noon,
Monday, August 5. at Shaver Ele­
mentary School, 3701 NE 131st Place
The sewer project is the fulfillm ent
o f long-identified needs in the neigh­
borhood. Two residents, Beverly
M o ffa tt and Mary Ellis, headed the
extraordinary petition drive to re­
solve Argavs increasing problems
with cesspools.
"T h is is a classic example o f neigh­
borhood spirit and involvem ent,"
said Commissioner Bogle. "M a n y,
mans people, all working together to
solve a problem, brought about this
neighborhood project."
A m ajority o f area property owners
formed a Local Improvement Dis­
trict (I ID ) by petitioning the C ity for
this much-needed project. A pproxi­
mately 380 residences and Shaver
Elementary School w ill be served by
the sewer system.
Neighbors first worked together
for annexation to Portland and sec­
ond on petitioning for this project.
Their hard work resulted in the suc­
cessful effort to start sewer construc­
tion this summer.
The low bid came in at $893,644,
27 percent under the estimate. Bon-
stan Construction w ill begin work
later in August, with completion in
approximately 10 months.
“ This project is an example o f
how the City comes to the aid o f peo­
ple in need," Commissioner Bogle
said "W hen Argay residents peti­
tioned the C ity, we responded as
quickly as possible.”
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Neal Naigus explained the coopera­
tive education program and how Intel
provides work slots for PCC students.
The college also makes the equip­
ment available for local researchers
and Monmer indicated he is eager to
promote shared uses o f the facility.
Graduates o f the program have a
basic understanding o f the processes
involved in designing, fabricating and
using miniaturized and integrated
circuits. They end up working in a
large variety o f areas in the industry,
in jobs ranging from manufacturing
tbe chips, to development, mainte­
nance or quality and reliability analy­
sis.
bv Norman H ill
W ith Black teenage unemployment
at an appalling rale o f nearly 45 per­
cent and with the overall Black un­
employment rate hovering at close to
17 percent, the need for immediate
answers to joblessness is clear Black
political leaders continue to he in the
forefront o f the struggle to enact
legislation which would provide for
adequate jobs programs and jobs
training designed to prepare jobless
Blacks and unemployed Black teen
agers for meaningful employment
Yet the sad reality o f a government
in which the Senate and W hite House
are controlled by conservative Re
publicans is that all meaningful gov­
ernment initiatives for providing
decent employment are blocked
Thus, some Black political leaders,
frustrated by the intransigence o f the
Reagan Administration on the jobs
front, are grasping at the few straws
that seem to provide some immediate
prospects for employing our jobless
youth.
One recent example o f such frustra­
tion is the decision by the Confer­
ence o f Black Mayors to support the
Reagan Administration's bid to install
a summertime sub-minimum wage for
youth. On the surface o f it, a youth
sub-minimum wage has its attrac­
tions. W ouldn't employers be more
likely to hire young Black teenagers
if they could pay them less than the
$3.35 minimum now imposed by
law? W ouldn’ t such a lower wage re­
m it in the freeing up o f more money
to hire larger numbers o f workers?
In point o f fact, however, a youth
sub-minimum not only would provide
little relief for jobless Black teenagers,
it would be disastrous for semi-skilled
and unskilled Black adult workers.
Employer would have every incentive
to fire Black adults, many o f whom
have families to feed and replace
them instead with teenaged work
ers. New openings for unskilled and
semi-skilled jobs which pay the $3.35
minimum would by pass Black adults
Moreover, Black and while teen­
agers who would be paid a $2.50
minimum wage would nonetheless
have to pay full fares to travel to
work, full prices for meals while on
the job, and full expenses for school
and entertainment. A youth sub­
minimum wage, moreover, would not
guarantee that young workers would
be provided with needed on-the-job
skills training. Indeed, there already
are existing mechanisms through
which an employer training inexperi­
enced young workers can pay them at
a below minimum-wage rate which
takes into account the teaching of
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available only in graduate school.
" I n the high tech world, there’s lots
available for jveople who don’ t want
years o f college,” said Monnicr.
by Robert Lothian
new I atm American songs including
original compositions. Hear Our
loices is a cassette tape accompanied
by a bilingual songbook o f 13 songs
by Salvadoran refugees from Mesa
Grande, a refugee camp in Honduras,
near the Salvadoran border
Hear O ur Voices is dedicated to
"a ll musicians w ho compose and sing
lo r freedom." Sabia visited Mesa
Grande in 1983. Over 10,(XM) refugees
live in the camp. The refugees decribe
the camp as a prison, even though it is
run by the United Nations.
During their visit to the camp,
Sabia performed for the refugees and
taped some o f their songs Perhaps
the high point o f their performance
Saturday was Sabia’s slide show o f
refugees in Mesa Grande and Los
Angeles, accompanied by the refu­
gees’ songs.
In "T he History o f El Salvador,” a
refugee writes: "W e Salvadorans al­
ways work this worthless land. The
products o f this soil arc not enough
to love on. That’s why so many
campe.sinos perish from p a in .”
"Song to Ronald Reagan” asks a
favor o f the President on behalf o f all
the Salvadoran mothers — "Place
your hand on your heart and stop
sending us so much repression."
One slide showed refugees in tra­
ditional garb walking along the streets
o f Los Angeles, carrying heavy bun­
dles on their heads. Another showed
refugees entering a M cDonald’s.
W ith nearly 500,000 Central Amer
lean refugees in the city, Los Angeles
is " lik e a huge refugee cam p," said
one o f the musicians.
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Sabia bridges culture gap
The C alifornia Latin-folk group
Sabia built some musical bridges
Saturday night.
The six-person group, performing
on guitars, drums, synthesizer, flute,
pan pipes and traditional instruments,
sang everything from "Steal A w ay,”
to Brazilian ragtime, to Salvadoran
refugee songs.
Sabia's spirited sound, heavily in ­
fluenced by the flute and drum music
o f South American Indians, is de
scribed as " a musical message o f
solidarity from the North American
people" to those struggling south o f
the border. A t one point, the key­
board player draped a revolutionary
El Salvadoran flag over his instru­
ment.
By the end o f their performance, a
benefit for the C orinto, Nicaragua,
sister city committee at the Old
Church, Sabia had the audience up
and dancing as they sang, “ This
song’s fo r you. Uncle Sam, we don’ t
want another V ietnam ."
Diane Hess, representing the sister
city committee, announced the visit
in mid-September o f the mayor o f
Corinto, Francisco Tapia Mata. The
mayor w ill visit with Bud Clark and
tour the port while here, she said.
Hess also announced that Portland
now has three sister schools with
C orinto — Metropolitan l earning
Center, Lincoln High School and
Oregon Episcopal School.
Sabia, a favorite with the West
Coast Central America network, has
produced two albums. Building
Bridges, available on Redwood Rev
ords, is a collection o f traditional and
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Blacks and the
minimum wage
Sabia performing Saturday night in Portland Story by Robert Lothian.
(Photo Kris Altucher)
Special Coupon
on-the-job skills.
There is also little evidence that
the establishment o f a sub minimum
wage would lead to increased hiring.
After all, today’s minim um wage is
in effect already a sub-mimimum
wage It has not been raised from
$3.35 an hour since January o f 1981.
In the three-and-a-half years since
that date, inflation has shrunk the
value o f the dollar by over fifteen per
cent Thus, the minimum o f $3.35 an
hour is today worth less than $2.70 in
real terms Yet has this lower standard
resulted in increased hiring o f work
ers? The answer clearly is " n o ." In
point o f fact as the minimum wage
wav falling in constant dollars in 1981
and 1982, the number o f jobs was dc
creasing and the unemployment lines
were swelling
Happily, many prominent Black
leaders recognize the perils o f youth
sub-minimum wage. In a statement is­
sued in May, the Congressional Black
Caucus asserted that the Reagan pro­
posal for a “ youth opportunity
wage" is in fact an “ employer op­
p o rtu n ity wage" which w ill help
businesses and not disadvantaged
youths The Black members o f Con­
gress asserted that it was "inadequate
access to training and education and
the failure o f the economic recovery
to benefit the poor” which was the
true cause o f unconscionably high
levels o f m inority youth unemploy­
ment. The Congressional Black Cau
cus statement has been endorsed by
the A F L -C IO , the N A A C P , the
leadership Conference on C ivil
Rights, the United States Student
Association, the National Coalition
o f Black Democrats, and the A. Phil­
ip Randolph Institute.
The Reagan plan for a sub­
minimum w ill only have the effect o f
taking money away from young
wage-earners and w ill pit father
against son, and mother against
daughter in a cruel competition for
low-skilled jobs. Instead, Blacks and
all working people should join together
in supporting legislation proposed by
Rep. Augustus Hawkins o f C alifor­
nia. Rep. Hawkins' bill would pay for
part-time and summer jobs for high
school dropouts who agree to com­
plete their education.
Only through education, jobs train­
ing, and skilLs training w ill young
Blacks and whites learn the skills
necessary for a lifetime o f meaningful
employment. Diversions such as a
youth sub-minimum wage do nothing
to address this fundamental need
I he youth sub-minimum wage medi­
cine prescribed by President Reagan
is nothing more than poison.
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