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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1959)
Fair Employment Practices Act Discussed at Roundtahle An employer cannot discri minate between applicants for a job on the basis of age, un less an age limit can be pro ven to be a necessary qualifi cation for the job. This is one of the restric tions on employers imposed by the Fair Employment Prac tices Act passed in 1949 and amended this year by the Ore gon state legislature, Miss Dana Platz of the Service Un limited Employment Agency, Medford, told the Jackson County Chamber of Com merce roundtable luncheon at the Jackson hotel Monday afternoon. Miss Platz spoke to the roundtable on the bureau of labor's interpretation, appli cation and enforcement of the act. These were explained to her, she said, at a recent meet ing with Norman O. Nilsen, commissioner of labor for Ore gon. Sixth Stale Oregon was the sixth state to pass a Civil Rights Law of which the Fair Employment Practices Act is a part. This act makes it illegal for an em ployer to refuse to hire, em ploy, bar or discharge from employment, any person on the basis of race, religion, co lor or national origin. This law was amended, she said, in 1959 to include age as a non discriminatory factor in em ployment. Miss Platz said Commission er Nilsen held a meeting in Salem recently to explain to employment agencies and em ployers, some of the require ments and interpretations of this law, because, as Nilsen said, there are many viola tions and as the bureau of la bor intends to enforce this law, it wants to make known just what the law permits and prohibits in employment prac tices. Three fields can. be ex plored in determining qualifi cations for a job, Miss Platz said. They are education, ex perience, and physical ability, not including age. Rights Violated Any person who feels that his rights have been violated by an employer, can file a complaint with the bureau of labor, according to the law. The bureau, in turn, will in vestigate .the complaint and warn the employer of his vio la tion1 if the complaint is valid. If the employer is warned and continues to violate the law then legal action will be taken against him which can result in a $500 fine or one year in prison, or both, Miss 1 Platz said. She noted that the FEP Act applies only to those employ ers of six or more persons. Th purpose of the law, as stated in a bureau of labor cir cular, is to afford all persons equal opportunities in em inent, regardless of race, re ligion, color, or national ori gin, with the qualifications of the individual being the sole test in the selection of em ployees. The 1959 amendment added age. Recant Ruling Although an employer has the right to select an em ployee on the basis of appear ance and personality, he may not, under the law, inquire as to race, ask for' a picture of the applicant, nor may he ask the color of eyes or hair, a re cent ruling of the bureau of labor disclosed, Miss Platz said. Unless there is a legitimate question as to whether or not an applicant is of legal age for a certain jqb, such as sell ing liquor, an employer can not ask for the age or birth date of a potential employee, she pointed out. Of course, this data can be determined after a person is put on the payroll, she added, but even then he could not be dis charged on the basis of it, it. x A person cannot be asked his nationality or country of origin for any 'purpose what soever, she said. A person may be asked whether or not he is a citizen of this country, but he may not be asked if he is a naturalized citizen, nor may he be asked, of what country he is a citizen. . There is an exception to this rule in cases where the gov ernment must determine if an applicant is a potential secur ity risk or not, she said. Agency Is Liable Not only is the employer li able for-violations, she said, but so is an employment agency if it should assist the employer in violating one of the provisions of the FEP Act. ARTHRITIS? I have been wonderfully blessed in being able to return to active life after, suffering from head to foot with muscular soreness and pain. Most all joints seemed affected. According to medical diagnosis. I had Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheu matism and Bursitis. For free in formation write: MRS. LELA S. W1ER 2805 Arbor iills Drive-GG P.O. Box 2695 Jaccson, Mississippi An employer is not only j prohibited from asking the re I ligion of an applicant, but he ! is also prohibited from asking if the person goes to church or not, what religious organi zations the applicant belongs to, what religious holidays he observes, or any other ques tion that may directly or in directly indicate a person's rehrion, she said. Any indirect question either oral or written that might in dicate the race, religion, na tional origin, or age of an ap plicant is also a violation of the law. Miss Platz said. It is also illegal for,an applicant to be encouraged to volunteer such information, she added. Cites Example Miss Platz cited a recent ex ample of employers attempt ing, to hire on the basis of race. Three dining establish ments recently constructed in Portland were built with an Oriental atmosphere. The em ployers wanted Oriental girls to work in these restaurants, so they sent word to Portland employment agencies that they wanted to hire a total of 30 'girls of Oriental descent. The agencies, not wanting to risk violation of the law, went to the bureau of labor for a ruling on this request. The bureau of labor said that by requiring Oriental girls to work in these restau rants, the employers were in violation of the portion of the law that prohibited hiring on the basis of race. Miss Platz noted that the three employ ers then went to San Francis co, where they hired 30 girls of . Oriental descent and brought them to Portland to work in the restaurants. Miss Platz said there are many other common employ m e n t application questions violating the law, for instance, birthplace of an applicant, re quirement of a birth certifi cate, and general military ex perience. Question of Service " She said that a question can be asked concerning military experience for the U.S. armed forces, but the question cannot be asked in such a way to in dicate any foreign military experience. If employers have any ques tions concerning the legality of a hiring practice, she said they should contact Commis sioner Nelsen of the bureau of labor in Salem, or Thomas N. Trotta, assistant attorney gen eral of Oregon whose head quarters are in Portland. Next week's speaker at the chamber roundtable will be ) ITT)TPTATTATTDW9rQ I IT iDlXllxllCi II ggfefM r: " :jg OSSA31 DACRON POLYESTER . i I " ,H MJIBERFILL ' . - 4 A xS ' - j cloud-light dacron ? Thick, fluffy-napped blanket works wonders for your warmth . . . thrives on easy-care! As seen in BETTER HOMES AND GARDEN Magazine! You never know it's winter under this luxurious blanket! Made of acrilan no warmer man-made fiber known! Loomed '1o a dream-weight 314 pounds, a generous 6 by 7'2 foot size. 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Female in mates have quarters in the ad ministraiton building of the state penitentiary here. Silver Lake Youth Victim ol Gunshot Klamath Falls -dTD- Ore gon's 1959 accidental hunting death toll by gunshot stood at 12 today. Jack M. Gibson, 15, Silver Lake, was the latest shooting victim. He was wounded fatal ly Saturday by an accidental shotgun blast while hunting ducks on the Williamson river north of here. Oregon also has had 12 hunting deaths from heart at tacks. Quotes From the News By United Press International Miami Sen. Pat McNamara (D-Mich.), stating that he has made no secret of the fact that his wife and nephew are on his Senate payroll: . "I hope the government gels as much worth from other people on its payroll as I do from what I pay my people." . London Elocution teacher Mrs. Ruth Botterill, describ ing her course to teach parakeets clean and proper language:. "I never let them hear bad language. I do swear occasion ally, but I go out of the room to- do it." New York Rock 'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed, after being asked the difference between "payola" and consultant fees which he has admitted receiving from record firms: "Someone will have to explain payola." MORE SPACE CAPSULES Six additional space capsules, such as the mock-up pictured here, have been ordered from McDonnell Aircraft of St. Louis, Mo., by NASA. Located on top of the 'tower are the small but powerful escape rockets which, will enable the astronaut to escape if any thing goes wrong during the President's Menu Preference Asked New Delhi-flJPD-Authorities at the presidential palace have asked Washington what Pres ident Eisenhower wants to eat during his stay in India. According to palace offi cials, special chefs have been engaged to make sure Eisen hower gets good American meals. But, if he wants to try some Indian curry, that can be arranged, they said. -Je- COMFORTER and PILLOWS Sief COMFORTER PILLOWS launching. (UPI . Telephoto) I Oregon 4-Hers Win National Honors Chicago -(UPD- Six "Oregon 4-H club members have won national honors at the 38th na tional 4-H club congress here. Five received $400 scholar ships. They are Edward Bur nap of Redmond, Margaret Ann Burk, Vale; Karen CruickshankM c M i n nville; Mark Anderson of Colton and Neil Heesacker, Forest Grove. The other winner was Jean Wick, La Grande, . who was cited for her work in the for estry program. Burnap won in the agricul tural program. Miss Burk was awarded her scholarship un der the beef program. Other winning fields: Miss Cruickshank, dairy foods dem onstration; Anderson, soil and water conservation, and Hee sacker, tractor program. TRAFFIC DEATHS UPPED Tokyo -UPD- Tokyo traffic deaths thus far this year total 1,002 as compared to 930 killed in 1958, the worst prev ious year, the metropolitan police board reported today. A rose to wear comes with each! Ensemble, lavishly printed with delicate roses in border and panel pattern! 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In the face of bullish chart patterns, Spear is now in clined to a more optimistic at titude over the near term, than was expressed last week. The Alexander Harrfilton Institute expresses a more cautious tone, however, feel ing that the present offers nothing more than a trading market, which is at or near its upper level. Investors Advisory Institute recommends National Distil lers & Chemical as a buy sit uation. Indicated year - end earnings should fall in the neighborhood of $2.25 a share against $1.76 last year, the in stitute notes. Liquor sales are proceeding satisfactorily while the company's chemical oper ations are maintaining a strong uptrend, the institute says. Reynolds & Co. feels that 1960 will be a good year for railway equipment manufac turers. Materials and supplies of the railroads are at abnor mally low levels, Reynolds says, indicating that Ameri can Steel Foundries, General Railway . Signal, American Brake Shoe, New York " Air Brake, and Westinghouse Air Brake should be all in line for an increase in business volume. SEEK REFUGE Bonn, Germany -(UPD- The West German Refugee Minis try announced Monday that 2,379 East Germans sought refuge in West Germany in the week Nov. 21 to 27. COMPARE the Black Yidow Spider Bite Fatal To Man Las Vegas, Nev.-(l?I)-A black widow spider bit Nicholas Burney, 54. five times on the hand when he put on his sweater. Attendants at Southern. Ne vada Memorial Hospital said Monday Burney, a . former Redlands, . chiropractor, died at the hospital Sunday. He told attendants he tried sev eral remedies before seeking help at the hospital. Indictments Are Returned by Jury Grand jury indictments have been returned against four men, according to the dis trict attorney's office. Indicted Friday by the grand jury was a 17-year-old Medford youth, charged with breaking into and entering the Empire Beverage com pany, 14 West Fourth st., Nov. 9. Previously charged with the same crime is James Conley Tolley, 18-year-old transient, who is awaiting a pre-sentence report. He had pleaded guilty to the charges in circuit court Nov. 12. Also indicted Friday was Carrol Gene Zachary, 24, of 819 Taylor St., Medford, on charges of assault with a dan gerous weapon. He is charged with pointing a .45 caliber pis tol at Special Deputy Lonnie L. Varner in Jacksonville Aug. 2. Winifred Lee Quails, 16, Ashland, returned from Mac Laren school for boys, was in dicted on rape charges. He is charged with raping a 16-year-old girl in July. Also indicted was Robert Carr Mix, 43, of 215 C st.. Phoenix, on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon. The charge followed a dispute wth his wife Nov. 11. Legion Promises Action on Clause Indianapolis, Ind.-flJPD - The American Legion today prom ised legal action against the "white-only" clause in the constitution of its fun-loving affiliate, the 40 and 8. National Commander Mar tin B. McKneally ordered the court test after 40 and 8 of ficials refused to drop the anti-Negro clause. McKneallyte order follow ed a mandate issued by the Legion's convention in Min neapolis last August. qualify! Compare the Price! Beautiful Early American SPREADS Luxuriously Fringed, Reversible! Your favorite spread, inspired by colonial needfework, looks so rich in any bedroom. The design is intricately worked in tiny loops, looks lovely either side. A big buy, yet see the quality details: heavyweight cotton, deep fringe, rounded corners. Machine washes at - medium setting. POSTPONE SEARCH Gulfport, Miss. ' - iUPD - A search for the wreckage of a National Airlines plane which crashed in the Gulf of Mexico Nov. 16 killing 42 persons was halted temporar ily Monday. Ten bodies have been recovered so far but Navy minesweepers' efforts to locate the plane wreckage have failed. 1 OPERA EXPERT DIES Moscow - (UPD The con ductor of the Bolshoi Thea ter, Prof. Vasily Nebolsin, 61, has died, the Soviet news agency Tass announced Mon day. Nebolsin was known in the Soviet Union as one of the greatest experts on opera. Add breath-taking beauty to your home! STIFFEL, Stiff ei Lampoles are so lovely, so practical and iaht now what values! NO TOOLS NEEDED NO DRILLING Shown is the new Stiffel pull-down Lampole, combining the beauty of a gleaming Lampole with a practical pull-down lamp. Ray-Dial diffuser pro vides comfortable reading light, prevents harsh glare. In baked enamel black or ivhite. Matching perforated metal shade with brass sunburst over lay. Place it anywhere in seconds without tools, drilling or fastening ! Anywhere you put it, it looks built-in. Stiffel Lamps (post) priced from $42.95 220 N. Bartlett Phone SP 3-4394 Antique. BEDDING . . . PENNEY'S STREET . MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford", Or. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1959 New York Bus Strike Averted by Pay Hike New York -OT- A city wide bus strike that would have affected 1,500,000 riders was called off Monday night a few hours before a mid night strike deadline. The strike was postponed by the Transport Workers Union following an offer from the seven bus companies of a "good faith" down payment of a seven-cent hourly pay in creases while negotiations for a new contract continue. This Christmos give some thing for the home . . . from Lippert's. Mondays Till 9:00 ipptrt s HOME FURNISHERS NOW ONLY $ 80 by 108; 96 by T08 inches FLOOR
