Manhattan District History: Book I -- General; Volume 8 - Personnel (redacted)

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For The Atomic Energy Commission CONFIRMED TO BE UNCLASSIFIED DOE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR AND NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION

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This volume is an account of the operations of the Manhattan District as of 31 December 1946, in the procurement and administra tion of the personnel required to design, construct, and operate its project, other than the Los Alamos Project, the History of which will be found in Book Till. It covers the broad fields of Recruitment, Conservation and Utilisation of Persomnel Labor Relations, Wage and Salary Administration, Selective Service, and Procurement of Military and Kaval Personnel. The statutes, regulations and policies affecting employment and the national wartime controls established for the conservation and efficient utilisation of manpower Are outlined and a brief description given of the agencies administering those controls. and the controls established for efficient distribution of the avail able manpower in the Armed Forces and in Industry, are deecribed in detail, with special emphasis on the unusual conditions prevailing on the District’s projects and the actions taken to recruit and maintain sufficient persomnel to accomplish its objectives.

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MAIHATTAH DISTRICT HI STOUT tibli or ooitints 1-4 Applicable Statute*, Regulations and Policies l.t 1*6 Rffeets af Security Restrictions 1.1 1*8 Acknowledgements af Aaslotanoo 1.0 8*8 Types af Porsonntl 8.1 8*8 Itinerant Raoraitaeat aad V. 8. Aepleyaeat Serriee Direet lira Pregraa 8*8 o. Machinists and Toelaakers Progrsn 8.8 8*8 Recreation, Living and Working Oonditione 8*4 8*6 Special Project Teaat 8.8 8*7 Reduetions in force 8.8

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SRCTIOH 4 * LABOR RILATIORS Far. lo . Fago Ro. e. Hanford Rngineer Works 4,10 The Stabilisation Agreement of 1941 8.} 1. Federal Wage and Hour Uvs, 8.8 I. Regulations of Ceamlssisner of Internal “ Revenue and Rational War Labor Board 8.1 f. Fellsles of War Hasptvor Commission and ** Unitod States Employment Serrioe 8.8 a. Tho Director of Iconomic Stabilisation 8.8 T» Tho War Manpower Commission and Unitod States o. Tho Department of Labor 8.8 Th* Wage Adjustment Board 8.8 the Board of Ievlev 8.8 fhe War Department Wage Administration AgeaeyS.4 The War Department Wage Coordination Beard 8.4 T. Types of Contrasts 8.8

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tau as M 8>>t— w Corporation 8.11 Xnfluonoo if lac* 8oaloo la Otbsr A m i 8*18 Operations • Bisoaroh Contrasts 8.80 Prebloas for the Future 8*88 s* Polislss • Ostobsr 1848 to Oossabsr 1848 Pollolss • May 1944 ts Psbruary 1948

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Manhattan Diatrlot Seleetlve Sendee Organisetlan 6.15 Manhattan Diatrlot fforernment Civilian tepleyeea 6.17 Jffo. Page go. fteaaan far AaalgwMat a# Military Pereaanel te the Kalla ted Man 7.6 I. Military Personnel at Santa Pa, Baer Mexlee 7.10 Oeaitral af Laat Peraannel 7*11

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District Personnel Progran hava been to reoruit and maintain sufficient manpower for the rapid construction and efficient operation of its projsets without interfering unnecessarily with other government and civilian activities. To obtain its objectives the District was required to recruit great numbers of employees of all types on a nationwide basis \y in competition with other important and highly publicised war programs and at a time when there was a critical shortage of manpower. After recruiting the workers the District was concerned with the problems of reducing labor turnover and absenteeism, providing suitable living and working conditions* establishing equitable wage and salary ratee and maintaining harmonious labor relations. Other factors to be considered were the security of the program and compliance with the laws, regula tions and policies established by the Congress and by the various agencies concerned with manpower. The principal statutes, regulation and policies affecting he District's program wsret the Baeon-Davis Act, the Convict Labor Law, the Eight Hour Law, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the gatlonal Labor Relations Aot, the Selective Training and Service Act, the Build ing and Construction Tradee Wage Stabilization Agreement, the "Little jy/ Steel" formula and various Executive Orders of the President and policies of the Chief of Engineers. Ths principal agenoles whiihn administered these laws and rsgulatione or were concerned with manpower utilization werei The Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the Department of Labor, the Direotor of Economic Stabilization, the National Labor Relations

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Board, tho national liar Labor Board, tho Selective Sarvloo System, the United State* Employment Service, the flfcge Adjustment Board, tho 7%go Administration Agonoy of tho m r Departmsmt, and tho War Manpower tho organisation o«tabUshod by tho ISmhattaa District Qffloo to adainister tho Personnel Progra* grow with tho expanding scope of tha District, reaching its peek la I M S and present fora early la 1946* Its activities throughout the several phases of development have been divided among tha najer fields eft Recruitment, Conservation and Utilisation of Ifcnpeeer, Inbar Sola tione. Military sad Maval Personnel Prooursnont and Administration, Soleotive Service operations, and Ikgo and Salary Adnlnl* stration. la all of these aotivitlos the District baa reoelved isvaluable assistance and cooperation Aron othsr GoVeraasnt agenoies as well ae private business concerns and Individuals* its large-soale roorultlng aotivitlos, control of ths enployasnt and utilisation of manpower had been oentrallsed la tha Hup JBmpecer Cenaisslon* The District, therefore, operated la accordance with the regulations sstab* llshed by tha Gonmission and utilised tha services offered by subsidiary organisations of that agency* The types of personnel to be recruited covered almost every oooupatlonal classification from cosnaoa laborers to Nobel Prize winners and the nothoda of recruitment, accordingly, varied widely* Solantlfio, professional and supervisory personnel were obtained through contracts with loading universities and industrial organisations or were released to the District by their employers* Plant operators were obtained through the U. S. Eaploymont Service and by means of itinerant

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reorulter* a* were ooapoa laborers and unskilled workers* The Building and Construction Trad** Department of th* American Federation of labor mnhattaa District was tb* first organisation to utilise tta* ayatan of mont Service to a partioular employer before being off*r*d any othar •Bployment* Starting an an informal regional basis to supply ©omnan labor for th* Clinton Engineer ’.Tories and latar or a nationwide basis for th* Hanford Sngineer Work*, manpower priorities wars family established by th* vtur Mobilisation Director on 14 floptihor 1949 for a nuaber of kmy Industrios* Th* Number 1 Priority g i v m th* Uwhattaa District under this ay*tea, together with th* high rating granted by the Mar Production The moat effective reorui ting method aas the use of paid reorulters lag the fkolllties of the U* 3* Bmployment Service. Supplementing this aethod was that of diroot hire by the officials of the U* 3, Employment Service who hired suitable applicants for th* aooouat of the w%iloyer* tfhen ordinary recruiting aethod* failed, speoial programs were inaugurated* suoh as the ifrQanHFattoreott Plan* whereby elootrlolaas war* borrowed t t m urgently needed aaohlnist* and toolaakors* idwn the M r manpower Camedsslon forced the release to the l&nhattan District of araftamen in those oat gories oven over the protest of employers engaged la othar urgent war

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•f aanpowar on the District's prajaata war# oomplioated by tha factors o a a m ta all iaduatriaa undar wartime oonditiona# suoh aa high labor turnover and absenteeism dua ta graatar rt*a*ud fWr labor and hlghar aagea then tha peaoatima normal* Thera wara alaa other laaa oammoa ifcotora affooting tha Diatrlot, ouch aai iaolation af tha prajaotaf ua» uaual langth of tha oonatruotion p^riodj expansions la tha pro&amj aaau* rity roatri otdon*f limitad housing and crowded transportation faoilltlo** M t intorviaw offlaaa wara established ta determine tha oauaaa af labor turnover and absonteelsa and ta oonaerra manpoaar by persuading anployaaa ta ratura ta thair Job* or by dlroatlag surplus warkora firm aa* oaatraator or prajaat ta anathar whera thair aarvioa* wara needed* UTarkara laaving tfaair joba whila thair sarvioaa wara still aaadad wara rofmod oortifioatoa of availability by thair oaploy*rs» wfaioh taohnioally pravantad thaa from obtaining aaploymsnt for a period of sixty daya* Ai a result of tha laMMM* laamad through *adt interviews aai athar naan* erary effort waa aada ta raduoa tha oauaaa of abaantaaiaa aad turn* a n r by puhlioity n*ap*fgn* appsallng ta tha workar* t patriotism, by th* providing of adaquata living aad working oondition* aad facilities for raoraation, and by •nil*ting th* oooporation of looal buain*** firaa aad tha employ*ea outside of their normal working hours* Tha suoaeaa of tha lishad at tha Clinton Engineer .forks and tha Sanford Etaginaar Work* ta solva nmnpower problems* These teams eaoh ooa*i*t*d of on* representative from tha War Manpower Commission, one frost Qsadqusrter* A m y Servioa Faroe*

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4. Labor Relation*. * 1b tha fiald of labor relatione tha Diatriot fallowed ooanoa praotioaa to tha extant permitted by eeourity requirement*. Where suoh praotioaa oould not b* followed othar fair and lapartial methode war* adoptad* Construction waa o&rried on by the oontraotora under oloaed ahop agreements with tho uniona affiliated with the Building and Conatrue* tian Tradee Department of tha Amarioan Federation of Labor* An exoeption to thia ana made in the eaae of nnnnm laborer* wheee uaiom oould not supply all the m m needed* Bio Diatriot reinbureed the oontraotora for hiring end traneportation ooeta of ffuah laborera reoruited in th* opon market and it m e therefore agreed by all oonoemad that auoh mam would not be required to join the union* Ha general the operating oemtraetore in rea trioted areaa followed an open ahop praotioo exoept for malntenanoo and aervioe oontraotora, aha usually had agreements, verbal or written* with the AFL Building Trade* Department unions. Other oontraotora followed their uaual praotioee, whioh for induetrial oomoerno uaually included union recognition and for univeraity laboratortee did net* Booauae of aaourity roquirmaenta# fall operation of th* Bational Labor Ralationa Aot oould net bo permitted ainoo it involved publie hearing* and inToatigatiana that would reveal olaaaified information* In aone oaae* the Diatriot oonduoted eleo» tione for the national Labor Relatione Board, ao in the aunmer of 1044 and again in BOvenber of 1948 at Oak Ridge, and in other oasoe, tho Bhtional Labor Relatione Board agreed to auapend aotion on uniam petition* for eleotione or the uniona involved wore perauaded to withdraw their petitione* At Oak Ridge the firat JflLfiB petition aae filed ao early ae the fall of of 1944, two AFL oraft uniona had petitioned for repreeeatation at K>25*

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Those petitions were hold In abeyance by agreement with tha unions con cerned* In th* fail of 1945 tbs Soorstary of far and Chairman of ths fctlonal labor delations Board agreed that no action should bo an petitions at Manhattan Engineer District Installations* In tbs spring of 1946, however, It was dooidod to open Clinton Ktaglnoor Works to ths unions, but ths HXfiB* AIL, and CIO woro all notified that security still provanted opening 19 of other installations* NLRB established spsoial proeeduree to protoot security aftsr a thorough investigation of th* situation* Afl* CIO sad the 141 oaapaignod in Oak Hldge from » y to August resulted la no deal sian so that a run-off elootlan was hold 10*12 Septonber* The United Chondaal Workers, CIO, was successful at ths Carbide and Carbon Chsnloals Corporation plant and with the help of the 9* 3* Conciliation Service had negotiated a contract by Deooatber 10* The Atomic trades and labor Counoil, AFK* booaao bargaining agent at Olintsa laboratory and had reached agreement with the Monsanto Chemioal Company by December 16* API also negotiated wrlttsa agrssaents with Ssene-Andcrsea Company for its naintonanoo aad service saployeee aad far the Oak Kldge Firefighters after HUUI elections lato la 1945 and with several naintonanoo and servloe ooapanies* Xlcotions arc ponding for the firefighters at Carbide and for the bus drivers and nechanlos of th* American Industrial Transit Company, as well os several concessionaires* In spite of oontlnuod AFL activity at Buford Engineer Works, both through the Metal Trades unions and the International Chemioal Wbrksre* Oilon, there has been no recognition of the unions at Hanford Engineer Works, aad union petitions for oleotlon have either boon withdrawn or held in abeyance* The potent organising foroe since the Sumner of 1946 is the

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Columbia Powar and Tradaa Counoll, AFL, bargaining agant with ths Bonn*rlllo Powar Adwiniatretlan* Patltlona for alaotlona at Los Alamos (CIO) and at Argonas Satianal Laboratory (IAM) during ths stnasr of 1946 wars ths Profesaional and Offloe Worloara, CIO, bars shorn a strong Intsrsst In laboratory employees* Ihs Oansral llastrls Company has a aati©*-wids agraaawnt with ths United Sadie and Xlsotrioal workers, CIO, which will probably oovwr ths work at bolls AtssdS Poaror Laboratory at Seheneotady and will hare seas sffost »t Hhnford Snglnser VarkS* In addition* General KLootrio has union contracts at Sohsnootady with tee small unions for ths patters makers and for draftsman* Among ths spoolal fsaturos brought about by sssurity restrictions on within ths Distriot to lnsurs squitabls adjustaants without ths neoessity of publio hearings* ths attending of union and other group nsstings and review of thsir oorrospondsnos at ths rsstriotsd Tillags of Oak Bidgs and ths aotim by Olstrlot officials as a goats of ths TfcgS and Hour Division of ths Department of Labor in taking investigations to determine appliaabllity of ths Fair labor Standards Act to oortain of ths Distriot*s triot of wages and salarlss of its contractors has bsan suoh as to per** / ait each contractor to follow his customary polloies, provided he stayed within ths limits inpossd by ths soonomy controls of the oontraoting officer and the national policies regarding wage and salary stabilisation* These oontrols limited the oontreotors in thsir efforts to recruit and maintain the necessary working forcss but wore effootive In preventing inflationary

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industrial operation and reacaroh, but tho ganeral polioy in all oaao* m s to permit oontraotora to pay m g e o and salarioo high enough to perform their work offioiently without being umeoeaaarily handicapped by a poor quality of worker, excessive absenteeism and turnover* or by shortages of workers* At tho same time tho District took g r m t oaro to prevmat wages and salarioo being raised higher than neoeaoary and eeah ooefc-plue*flxed»foe eentraotor m o required to obtain approval of m g e and mlary aohodules by the flk* Department Wkgo Adadniatration Agenoy. Inoraases ware kept within tho limits of ths "Little Steel1* Formula except where otherwise speoifioally authorised by higher authority. Salaries exceeding #9,000 per year were authorised by tho Under Secretary of flar and Major General L. X. Grovee and aero paid in acme oaaea, after careful invaatlgatiaa, to top pro* feaaloaal and axacutiv* mployaea of certain oontraotora in aooordance with their norml aalarlea. Conatruotiom mge ratea were eatabliahod and adjusted trm time to tine by the Department of Labor whoae dooialona were baaed an prevailing ratea paid in the vicinity, theae ratea wore affected by local ffcotora, such aa the tenneaaeo Valley Authority*a ratea near the Clinton Knglneer rforka and tho Vfaat Coaat ahipyard and aircraft induatry ratea in tho violnity of the Bhnford ftigineer iforka. they aero alao influenced by union damanda and by the neoeaaity of paying ratea high enough to recruit workera from other eeotiona of the country where m g e a hi^ier than tho local rate were being paid*

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and salary schedules war* normally established la accordance with tha contractors* usual practice …