Blacks in Little Rock, 1941 #2

A survey of the black community by the Greater Little Rock Urban League, published in 1941, revealed a number of distinct classes. There was a small band of skilled and semi-skilled black workers that found employment as automobile mechanics, railroad workers, brick and stone masons, carpenters, electrical workers, plasterers, plumbers and painters. Such positions conferred status and opportunities. They often benefited from higher rates of unionization. Many belonged to integrated unions, although there were numerous complaints about their treatment by white union members. Some employers offered significant private facilities for skilled black workers. The 530 black employees of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, for example, had access to private hospital facilities and the use of Booster Park in North Little Rock for recreation. Higher wages also meant access to better housing.