Black Workers in an Industrial Suburb: The Struggle Against Discrimination

In this study of black factory workers, Bruce Williams analyzes the racial discrimination that persists in the workplace despite federal regulations aimed at expanding opportunities for minorities. Focusing on a suburban industrial plant, Williams presents a rich and convincing portrayal of the strategies and interactions that result in discrimination. Using as his case study a once predominantly white, working-class community, which is now home for more blacks than whites, Williams traces the changes in community norms and values as white residents responded to a mass influx of black residents. Williams explores the relationship between attitudes, structures, and actions in a suburban factory environment. He demonstrates how and why even in the most "progressive" work environment, good black workers are not welcome. White managers, management organizations, the union, and individual workers all play a role in determining the nature of race relations and the social environment of the workplace. Blacks are kept out of skilled and managerial positions and Williams finds that informal discrimination increases with the number of blacks applying for work. Williams also evaluate two major theories - the internal labor market and the human capital theory - that have been used to explain racial aversion within industry. He explodes the myth that job opportunities for working-class blacks will increase as they move out of the inner cities into the industrial suburbs and exurban areas. Through the eyes of local residents and workers he describes the personal impact on black workers of deindustrialization, the movement of industry from the Frost Belt to the Sun Belt, and technological innovation.