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Wallen, Arch (audio interview #1 of 2)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This interview was conducted in Wallen's home in Palos Verde. He was very gracious, accommodating, and pleased to assist the Rosie the Riveter project. In preparation for the interview, he had gathered a variety of documents and photographs, to which he referred in the interview. 9/27/1979
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- 2021-03-31
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- *** File: rrrawallen1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-1:44)... Wallen suggests that Harry Gann be considered for an interview given his historical knowledge of Douglas Aircraft. (Note: there is a very short interview with Gann in the Long Beach History, Community Builder series.) (1:44-7:06)... Wallen notes that an article in the Los Angeles Times on women in the industry displays the same kind of information and same kind of publicity as was used in the past. He produces and discusses several photographs and articles from Douglas Air View , the monthly magazine published for Douglas employees. (7:06-9:01)... Many of the pioneers in aviation worked at Douglas, including Jack Northrop, Jerry Vultee, among others. Douglas was a training ground for these men. (Wallen suggests that contact be made with Jim Donahue who wrote a book on the development of the aviation industry in Long Beach. ) (9:01-14:36)... Wallen discusses the division of Lockheed into three separate manufacturing centers. For instance, Vega Airplane Company was established in 1938 to produce B17 aircraft. He refers to sources on the history of both Lockheed and Douglas. TWA's history included technical consultation provided by Charles Lindbergh during the construction of the DC1. (14:36-21:00)... A woman's experience with household "hand tools" made her uniquely qualified to work in the aircraft industry. A "good housewife could out perform many males that had never fixed anything. So, women did have an advantage that was very obscure." When women entered the aircraft industry during WWII, tasks were simplified. The influx of employees caused Douglas to train employees in a single skill rather than multiple skills. Wallen discusses how this transition affected promotions and seniority, particularly after the war when they returned to multiple skills. When the CIO organized the plant, people complained when they were not considered for job upgrades. A woman could be provided with the opportunity to train for an upgraded position and once it was demonstrated to the union that she could not do the work, she was placed in a position that suited her skill level. In many cases, however, there was nothing else she could do and, therefore, she was dismissed from the plant. (21:00-23:22)... Note: a telephone rings in the background during this segment. The AFL organized employees at the Santa Monica plant and the Long Beach plant was organized by the CIO. When the war ended, problems occurred between these competing unions and skilled and unskilled workers. To resolve these issues, Douglas agreed to transfer employees trained in 100 of the top skills from the Long Beach to the Santa Monica plant to be covered under the AFL. (23:22-27:44)... Prior to WWII, Wallen was employed in the Tooling Division at the Santa Monica plant. A division policy dictated that no female administrators be hired in any clerical positions. The division had a pool of thirty male typists but it became increasingly difficult to hire for these positions without "getting some pretty weird people" in the division. Some of the men competed for each other's affection and occasionally came to work wearing women's clothing or makeup. At that time, the division immediately changed its policy and began hiring women in an attempt to get rid of these men. The belief was that they could be put to better use by enlisting in the army and helping the war effort. (27:44-33:02)... Wallen discusses the difficulties that existed in the management structure at Douglas because of differences between "old timers" and the younger generation of managers. Gradually, the new structure of management systematized the planning procedures involved in aircraft production. Wallen liked to use the slogan, "He's a man of action. No time lost in thinking" to describe the facade of looking industrious that was practiced by employees at Douglas. Even secretaries adopted this custom by mindlessly typing forms in order to appear busy. (33:02-41:19)... In 1940-41, management plans were developed at the Santa Monica plant for a new plant to produce 747 and A20 aircraft. A model of the new plant was created and cutouts were used to designate where operations would take place at the new plant. The older members of the management team were integral in designing the plan because they knew exactly what was required to build airplanes. However, the old school style of building airplanes did not hold up to modern manufacturing methods and it became apparent, especially to the military, that the old timers had to go. Wallen describes the management and production changes that were adopted at Long Beach after 1942 in order to run the plant efficiently and productively. (41:19-43:53)... Wallen discusses the original plans for and building of the Douglas, Long Beach plant, referring to photographs of both the original plans and their ultimate implementation. Beach End of tape. *** File: rrrawallen2.mp3 (0:00-5:12)... Wallen provides more photographs of the Long Beach plant, many of which show how and with what materials the plant was camouflaged. One particular photograph was taken of the 747 line at clock out and depicts a number of women leaving the plant. Wallen explains that Douglas employed far more women than any of the other aircraft companies in the area. He also introduces a photograph that shows some of the "old timers" at Douglas, including the first manager of the Long Beach plant, and a test pilot. There were no women employed as test pilots at the plant during WWII. (5:12-11:39)... He refers to his contribution to a book celebrating the tricentennial of the City of Long Beach, in which he discussed the story of Douglas Aircraft. His comments on women included references to their being "less ambitious... easier to move around ... [And] not pay conscious." During the war, both housewives and previously employed women were hired at Douglas. The turnover of housewives was high. The company initiated the policy of three exit interviews based on the idea that by the third exit interview the company would learn the real reason why women wanted to quit their jobs. When it was determined that women were having a difficult time managing their domestic and work responsibilities, the company created services that alleviated these conflicts, including a four-hour shift. (11:39-15:06)... The housewives and older women at Douglas shaped behavior at the plant. Wallen believes that some men intentionally used foul language because they did not want to work along side women or probably enjoyed seeing them get upset. Some of the male supervisors refused to work with women. It became clear, however, that women did not respond well to a female supervision. Wallen recalls hiring an "old timer" to supervise approximately 300 women employed in subassembly work. He was a successful supervisor because he simply listened to women's complaints and followed it up with a "peck on the cheek." When motivating women, he either patted them on the shoulder or on the rear end. (15:06-24:26)... A "housemother" spoke on behalf of the women workers when they had complaints. Wallen regularly listened to these complaints but did not attempt to resolve anything because women simply wanted to make someone aware of their conditions. At that time, there was no personnel office to handle these matters. Beginning in 1944, Women Counselors were gradually introduced at Douglas. Before then, it was unacceptable to send in a woman to solve work-related disputes. When the union organized the plant in 1944, the Union Bargaining Committee included two women on the committee. These women did not do anything substantial while on the committee and were merely "tokens." (24:26-26:25)... Wallen talks about the tactics the Union Bargaining Committee employed in order to compete with the management at Douglas Aircraft. (26:25-28:47)... Douglas Aircraft set up small "notions" that sold safety shoes and certain articles of clothing to employees. The company also created a place where employees could pay their utility bills. A childcare center was not available at the plant. The plant employed approximately 42,000 employees and various issues related to family and work conflicts constantly required attention. (28:47-33:43)... Note: the telephone rings in the background during this segment. The women at Douglas Aircraft were a motivated work force that demanded "justice and fair play" more so than men. Wallen recalls an incident when he reprimanded a woman because of poor job performance at which time she began crying. He felt horrible for upsetting her and made it a point to have another male coworker in the office with him when evaluating a woman so that he was not the only one to blame if she got upset. He admits that women were stereotyped and denied access to certain jobs. However, in his experience men and women did differ in their work ethic. It was much more difficult to "drive" women when faced with a production deadline. (33:43-43:00)... Note: there is an interruption in the interview during this segment when Wallen's wife enters the room to speak to him. There is also background noise when she starts her car. In 1944, management began holding conferences to discuss the various problems occurring within the company's work force. Douglas began setting up "feeder" plants in other cities to expand its base of operations and satisfy its labor problems. Long Beach also was experiencing a housing shortage and feeder plants provided people with a place to work close to their homes. The feeder plants offered four-hour shifts, which were attractive to housewives and military personnel. Douglas also established a training center that offered Job Instruction Training (JIT), Job Relations Training (JRT), and Job Methods Training (JMT). In addition, the company opened an employment agency at 1212 American Avenue in Long Beach to hire new employees. Company management closely supervised the employment agency because the staff tended to be the "partying" type. Management initiated an evaluation system known as "PACE" and also instituted the policy of three exit interviews when employees wanted to leave the plant. The union was the catalyst for these personnel programs because management wanted to protect itself from union disputes. (43:00-45:02)... Wallen continues his discussion on employment centers, indicating that the housing shortages in Long Beach stifled recruitment efforts both in and out of the state. He remembers when five people traveled from Calabasas to work at the Long Beach plant. However, most of the employees who worked at the Long Beach plant resided in the Long Beach and San Pedro area. Employees working at feeder plants also lived near those plants. End of tape. *** File: rrrawallen3.mp3 (0:00-5:15)... Wallen provides company records that provide the percentage of women employed at each of the Douglas plants, the types of aircraft produced at each plant, and wage comparisons between the shipbuilding and aircraft industries. Women employed at the Long Beach plant worked mainly on 747s (DC3s) because production was very well organized, efficient, and easy by the time the war broke out. The men at the Long Beach plant mainly worked on A26 and C74 aircraft. (5:15-11:33)... Additional company and employment records are discussed in this segment. Wallen defines the terms used to categorize the figures included in these records. Many of these records were compiled by the Air Force after conducting a review of the Long Beach plant. (Wallen also displays a photograph depicting members of the Union Bargaining Committee and Douglas managers signing a union contract in 1946.) (11:33-18:34)... Wallen does not recall Douglas ever compiling any employment records that categorized the race or ethnicity of women workers. He believes that Mexican women comprised as much as ten percent (10 percent) of the female work force, exceeding the number of Black women. He notes that Dr. James Wilburn, who researched WWII employment trends in the aircraft industry, may be able to shed some light on the racial demographics at Douglas. (As an aside, he notes that women complained about the lighting in the plant because it made their complexions look bad.) (18:34-25:32)... Although Wallen was unable to provide statistical information on job categories for women, he believes that the majority of women employed at Douglas worked as drillers and riveters. Christina Sinclair, Constance Walker, and Frances Lemar received degrees in engineering and were the only women who worked in the Engineering Department. Women were scattered in other departments throughout the plant and a "handful" of them worked as leads. Wallen recalls one woman in particular who supervised approximately ten men during the Korean War and notes that she did her job well, if not better, than some of the male leads. Wallen produces Industrial Relations Handbook , which he frequently referenced for Douglas management strategies. (25:32-35:04)... When the war ended, most people were relieved and viewed losing their jobs as a "reward for having won the war." Some women wanted to remain on the job but it was difficult for them to make the transition from single to multiple skills. Union advocates accused Douglas of multiplying operations in order to push women out of the industry and problems also developed relative to job grades and seniority. JRT, JMT, and JIT programs were available for women in order to teach them multiple skills, but these programs were somewhat unorganized. He claims that following the war, many women were anxious to return domestic life. However, the desire to buy consumer products, coupled with the Korean conflict, stimulated women's return to the aircraft industry. By this time, Douglas had adequately organized a Personnel Department to interview and train perspective employees. (35:04-38:51)... Wallen remembers that a number of welders were hired at Douglas during the war. Even though people may have had skills and previous training in certain areas, such as welding, they were still required to undergo training specific to aircraft production. Women who left their jobs during the war to go into aircraft production did so because they felt it was their patriotic duty. These women took their jobs very seriously and were motivated to do a good job in order to aid the war effort. (38:51-40:32)... There were very few women employed at Douglas as inspectors. Women were mainly employed as drillers, riveters and assemblers. Even though this work was considered a man's job, women were skilled enough to fill these positions during the war. If a woman came into Douglas with an engineering degree, she would be placed in the Engineering Department but the responsibilities she carried was a different story. (40:32-46:03)... Wallen explains the transition from multiple skills to single skills, indicating that the mass assembly line style of production was used as a method of increasing production for the duration of the war. When the war ended, Douglas had every intention of returning to multiple skills production. Both the single skill style of production and women were temporary features. It was expected that women would return to the home once the war ended. Contrary to this expectation, there is a discussion regarding the 1940s labor study completed by the Women's Bureau, which found that eighty percent of the 10,000 women interviewed planned to stay on the job after the war. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Arch Wallen was on the management team of Douglas (in Santa Monica) and was intimately involved with the planning of the new Douglas, Long Beach plant. He was interviewed as part of the Rosie the Riveter project for his expertise on aircraft production and to provide background on the establishment of the Long Beach plant. He was eager to assist the project and helped the staff to understand some of the technical aspects of aircraft production. Portions of the two interviews detail very complicated production procedures that might not be of interest to the uninitiated. However, in other portions of the interviews, he provides insights into how production was broken down in order to accommodate an unskilled work force; women's roles; the demographic breakdown of the work force, etc. TOPICS - advertisements for employment at Douglas Aircraft; aviation history; work force demographics; production processes; job descriptions; hiring policies; homosexuality; managerial roles; craft unionism; promotionsplans for the Long Beach plant; work force demographics; gender relations at Long Beach; Women Counselors; relationship with union; employee services; personnel changes; training programs; feeder plants; Douglas Emproduction and employment records for Douglas; racial and ethnic composition; women's roles and job categories; demobilization attitudes; wartime production processes; patriotism; gender expectations; and women a
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