TRANSIT NEWS OCTOBER, 1965 PRESENTING THE "Wise Owl" certificate to Mr. Blaney is E. E. Olmstead, assistant superintendent, surface system, flanked by, from left, John Burke, coordi nator, Fi re and Safety; J. J. Reppl inger, superintendent of surface sys- temshops; Joseph Hecht, general foreman, and John Boyce, coordinator, Fi re and Safety. J. J. BLANEY of South Shops demonstrotes use of Averts Serious Eye Injury a pneumatic screwdriver which nearly caused a serious eye injury. The shattered lens of the 'safety gl asses he was wearing (inset) indicates the force with which the piece of the screwdriver plate struck the lens. By Wearing Safety Glasses THE VALUE of safety equipment in protecting em- As a fortunate result of avoiding what might have ployes from serious injuries by "on the job" acci- been a serious injury, Mr. Blaney received a mem- dents was demonstrated recently when a CTAwork- bership award in the Wise Owl Club sponsored by er saved the sight of one eye because he believed the National Society for the Prevention of Blind- in wearing safety glasses while working. ness. This included a small lapel pin replica of an owl which is presented to those whose sight has J. J. Blaney, employed in the body shop at been saved by the use of safety glasses. South Shops, while working on a bus with a pneu- matic screwdriver, was hit in the left lens of his In contrast is a similar occurence which also safety glasses when a piece of the screwdriver happened at the South Shops early last year. An plate broke off and struck the lens. employe was injured while engaged in the repair of a bus rear door engine when a chip from a ball The impact was of such force that it shattered pean hammer penetrated the left eyeball. the lens, but the eye was uninjured. Had Mr. Blaney not worn his safety glasses, he would have Had this employe followed the advocated safe undoubtedly been severly injured with perhaps a practices set forth by CTA's industrial safety pro- permanent loss of sight. grams and used the safety glasse s that had been issued to him, he would have saved the sight of his This near injury dramatizes the value of per- eye. sonal protective equipment made available to all employes. It further illustrates the value of work- The two almost identical incidents related above safe practices advocated in .the CTA industrial emphasize a well-defined point: Safety equipment safety program. doesn't protect you unless you use it. Volume XVIII CT A TRANSIT NEWS Number 10 Publi shed monthly by and for employes of the Chi caga OUR COVER: Building Six at South Shops become a concert Transit Authority, under the supervision of the Director of hall on the evening of September 30 when the visiting Stock- Public Information. holm Passenger Transport Bond presented a two-hour program David E. Evans, Editor for CTA employes. The unusual event was a highlight of 0 Robert D. Heinlein, Assistont Editor stopover in Chicago on 0 tour of eastern and midwest cities. Annual subscription price: $2.00. Distributed free' of charge While here, the group also inspected CTA properties and to all active and retired CTA employes. Address communi- facilities to get first-hand information and compare the opera- cations to CTA TRANSIT NEWS, Room 742, Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, Illinois, 60654. tional practices of transit companies in the United States and Sweden. Their tour ended in Washington, D.C. 2 eTA TRANSIT NEWS eTA: Its Organization and Operations - THIRD IN A SERIES THE PERSONNEL functions of employment, train- ing, supervisory development, and accident pre- vention were consolidated under the direction of John Baker, superintendent of employment and training, in October, 1964. These functions are closely related and have a common purpose - to provide eTA with competent, well trained, and highly motivated personnel. This issue describes the duties and functions of the Employment Department. The next issue will cover the Training and Accident Prevention De- partment. The Employment Department has the responsi- bility for hiring applicants and for up-grading and reassigning present employes. Functions of the department include recruiting, interviewing, and te sting. Re cruitment acti vitie s are concentrated pri- mari1y on attracting bus operator applicants be- cause of the continuing demand for replacement to fill vacancie s caused by separations, transfe r s, and retirements. Recruitment is conducted through APPOINTED OCTOBER 14, 1964, as superintendent of em- many sources such as employe referrals, the Illi- ployment and trai ning and reporti ng di recti y to the general nois State Employment Service, community organ- manager, John Baker directs the activities of the Employment and Training and Accident Prevention Departments. (continued on next page) AN APPLICANT is being greeted in the recept ion office of the Em- ployment Depart- ment by Ei Ieen Sheehan, recep- tioni st, who ar- ranges for hi s prel iminary inter- view. THE FUNCTIONS of the Employment Department are under the direction of Arthur F. Stahl (seated), superintendent of employment, and Raymond J. Ruzich, assistant to the superin- tendent. OCTOBER, 1965 3 CTA: Its Organization and Operations (cont'd from page 3) i zati ons , and advertising. Of these sources, em- ploye referral is the most productive because ap- plicants referred by employes are most apt to meet our standards and have a better understanding of the employment opportunities and work conditions at eTA. A brief interview is conducted with an applicant to determine whether the applicant should be con- sidered for furthe r proce s sing. If further proce s- sing is indicated, the applicant is given a general aptitude te st and a medical examination. Also the applicant's pastwork experience, military service, and education are reviewed. This information together with a second, more thorough, interview provides information neces- sary to match the applicant with the requirements for beginning jobs in the Authority. After suc - ce s sfully completing the preemployment pr oce s- re sults, and significant information obtained in sing, the applicant is fingerprinted, photographed, pe r sonal inte rviews. Similar detailed interviewing and investigated. The employment processing, es- and processing procedures are followed in the re- pecially for operating personnel, is especially assignment and reinstatement of displaced, un- thorough because of the responsibility involved in assigned, and disabled employes. providing safe, courteous se rvice to our ride r s. The Employment Department also has the re- sponsibili ty of proce s sing employe s who apply for AN APPLICANT reports to Genevieve Bagger, test adminis- up-grading or transfer through job vacancy bulle- trator, to take a written test for bus operator. Tests also are tins. Eligible employe s are proce s sed in seniority admini stered to appl icants and employes for other positions. order and recommendation for acceptance is made after review of the employe I s work record, te st INTERVIEWING APPLICANTS is a specialized field requiring tact, thoroughness, and the abi Iity to make competent iudg- ments. The employment interviewers, left to right, are: Donald E. Rei ss, John J. O'Connor and Stanley R. Tadevic. THESE GIRLS handle the employment clerical duties and final hiring procedures. Left side: Anita Curtis, Karen Dudek, THE GREAT number of applicants each year requires extra Linda O'Brien. Right side: Kay Thompson, Elaine Sherman, interviewers from time to time. Standing, left, Bruno Karp, Dorothy Coughlin, supervisor; Kathy Dunne, Joyce Abernathy. Transportation Department instructor, and seated, Gust Christofidis, graduate trainee; standing, right, Elliott McMohel, employment cI erk, who fi ngerprints and photographs appl i cants. Two------------Recei ve Outstanding----------------------------------- Apprenticeship Certificates TWO CTA shop workers were recently awarded outstanding apprenticeship certificates by the National Transportation Apprentice ship Confer- ence , composed of management and labor repre - sentatives in the field of transportation. The awards were presented to John S. McGrath, carpenter apprentice, and Riley A. January Jr., machinist apprentice, both of South Shops, who were the first CTA employes to be so honored. In making the awards, consideration was given PROFICIENCY IN their on-the-job performance records as trainees won awards for two South Shops employe's who re- to the apprentices on the basic points of perform- ceived outstanding apprenticeship certificates from the Nation- ance, attendance, attitude, progress during the on- al Transportation Apprentice Conference recentl y.Standing the-job training, and related classroom instruc- between General Manager T. B. O'Connor and J. J. Repplinger, tion, andall-aroundprogress in acquiring the skills superintendent of surface system shops are (second from left) of hi s trade. Riley 'A. January Jr., machinist apprentice, and JohnS. McGrath, carpenter apprentice. Apprentices selected for the awards must have the recommendation of their immediate supervi- sors and be approved by the National Transporta- the certificates to the CTA winners took place in tion Apprenticeship Conference, which represent the offi ce of T. B. 0 I Connor, gene ral manage r. all segments of the transportation industry, includ- Both of the award winners are former Trans- ing airline s , railroads, maritime and motor trans- portation Department employe s. McGrath started port industries. To qualify for the awards, those as a trainman on the rapid transit system on July selected must have had at least two and one-half 25, 1960, and began his apprenticeship on Septem- year s of apprentice training. ber 9, 1962. January was hired as a bus operator Announcement of the award winners was made and assigned to North Avenue station on October 2, at a session of the apprenticeship conference held 1958, and started his apprentice training on No- in Chicago on September 13-15.