Aerospace Industry’s Hiring Policies Hit

Southern California’s aerospace industry was criticized sharply by a Congressional committee Monday for failing to hire and promote more black and Latino workers.

A report issued by the House Education and Labor Committee said the proportion of those two minorities in the industry’s work force “remained relatively unchanged or worsened” between 1980 and 1986.

The report--based on data from eight companies that receive billions of dollars in federal contracts--found that the percentage of blacks working at the firms fell to 9.9% from 10.2% over the seven years. The proportion of Latinos rose to 9.9% from 9.6%.

Although their percentage in the work force was little changed, the actual number of blacks and Latinos working for the eight contractors grew amid an industry boom.

For Asians, the findings were more upbeat. Asian employment increased every year and reached 7.7% of the work force in 1986, up from 5.3% in 1980, the report said. Asians also fared better in moving up the corporate ladder.

But, the report said, “The laudable progress made by Asians should not be used to obscure the fact that since the early 1980s blacks and Hispanics have not notably advanced in these companies.”

The House committee, chaired by Rep. Augustus Hawkins (D-Los Angeles), studied statistics and affirmative action plans submitted by Lockheed Corp., Litton Industries, Rockwell International, TRW, Hughes Aircraft, Northrop, McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics. All of the companies either have headquarters or large operations in Southern California.

“I’m seriously concerned about the results of this study,” Hawkins said. “The eight companies share a substantial portion of the federal contract dollar and will probably continue to do so in the future.” In 1986, the companies received $33 billion overall in federal contracts, the committee report said.

The report stemmed from complaints of discrimination received by Los Angeles area congressmen, including Hawkins and Rep. Matthew G. Martinez (D-Monterey Park), chairman of the House subcommittee on employment opportunities. The subcommittee held hearings last October, and in January, four other members of Congress joined Martinez and Hawkins in calling for a General Accounting Office investigation of employment practices in the industry. The GAO study is pending.

Representatives of most of the eight companies cited in the House committee report said they had not seen the report and couldn’t comment.

“The biggest challenge is in finding qualified minorities and women for engineering jobs,” said Northrop spokesman Greg Waskul, adding that the company is supporting educational programs to increase the pool of minority applicants. The report recommended that companies lend more financial support to such programs.

The report also faulted the companies for little progress in hiring minorities and women in non-technical areas. Other findings in the report:

- Latinos make up 65% of the factory workers in Los Angeles overall, but only 23% of the factory workers employed in the aerospace industry. They constitute 5.6% of aerospace professionals and 4.8% of aerospace managers.

- Blacks make up 6% of Los Angeles factory workers and 23% of aerospace factory workers. In the aerospace industry, they constitute 4.8% of managers and 6% of professionals.