Show Me the Money
During the time Scarboro operated, the Canadian government established all policies regarding wage rates and employee benefits.20 However, Bob and Phil Hamilton were eager to facilitate training and advancement of their employees so that they could qualify for and receive the highest authorized pay rates as quickly as possible.21 In 1943, wages started at thirty-five cents per hour.22 A Cost of Living Allowance wage adjustment occurred annually. The Cost of Living Allowance during the war reached 17 percent at one point.23 A typical GECO operator could expect her average weekly pay to be from $17–$19.62 to start.24 Remarkably, handling explosives in munitions work paid less than other wartime industries such as aircraft manufacturing.25 Unlike their American counterparts, Canadian munitions workers did not receive an additional six cents per hour in hazard pay.26 Dorothy Cheesman, in her opinion, received very attractive wages for her age, earning between $15 and $17.50 per week.27 Typical wages for a female clerk in 1941 were $731 per annum, or $14.06 per week.28
As for GECO’s executives, the Canadian government needed the very best available men and women to fill the top-level positions. It awarded the plant’s chief staff healthy monthly salaries. Dr. Jeffrey, head physician, earned $450; Mr. Flexman, plant manager, made $625; E.H. Smith, plant consultant, earned $516; and Mrs. Florence Ignatieff, cafeteria manager, received $350 monthly.29
The Canadian government granted six paid days of vacation — an important dispensation established during the war — to employees after they had completed one year of service, according to terms set out by the government’s National and Regional War Labour Boards.30 However, if the employee took an unauthorized absence from work, their vacation was docked one half day for each transgression.31
GECO and Its Books of Many Colours
As a top-secret munitions plant, security and safety were paramount at Scarboro, not only to GECO’s success as a producer of ammunition, but also to victory overseas. GECO, like other Canadian war plants, issued many small booklets — small enough to fit in handbags and men’s shirt pockets — which outlined rules and regulations relating to particular aspects of plant life. Each employee could count on receiving one or several guides, depending on their responsibilities. The front cover of each booklet was a different colour for easy identification.
The Employees’ Guidebook — brown in colour — presented a series of “articles” covering everything from secrecy, ID passes, and change house regulations, to attendance expectations, pay regulations, vacation plans, and training.32 It further addressed safety directives, industrial relations, medical help, cafeteria services, awards, service badges, and enrollment in the plant’s Recreation Club.33 The book outlined processes and procedures that would help make employees at GECO more comfortable and positive.
The Hamilton brothers and the Canadian government were eager to instill a sense of loyalty and pride in their workers from the moment they were brought on board. “The products of this Plant constitute a vital portion of Canada’s war effort,” wrote Bob and Phil Hamilton in the guidebook’s introduction.34 “They are now being used by the Active Service Forces of the United Nations. Your work in this Plant is therefore a real contribution towards the winning of the war. Attend regularly and put your best effort into your job so that YOUR war effort may be a source of pride and satisfaction to YOU.”35
100 Percent Club
Despite encouraging patriotism and dedication, the Hamilton brothers and their management team struggled with chronic employee absenteeism at Scarboro. Major causes of absenteeism included sickness, childcare needs, household duties, shopping, and shift fatigue.36 GECO’s absenteeism rate in 1942 was more than 25 percent, three times higher than that of the War Industry Average (WIA) of just over 7 percent.37 GECO’s absentee rate dropped over the next three years, to its lowest point in 1945 at slightly over 10 percent, but remained almost double the WIA.38 Bob and Phil Hamilton emphasized that the high percentage of absenteeism was due to “employing a very large proportion of women with home duties.39 It was necessary to do this in order to absorb all the labour available,” they explained, “and due allowance was made for this in determining the force required.”40 Was this explanation reasonable and legitimate? Absolutely. Even if there was any question as to the loyalty of their employees, the Hamiltons defended them, nevertheless.
GECO management employed both the “carrot” and the “stick” approach to absenteeism. Posters hung up around the plant “shamed malingerers,” pointing out that taking a day off meant one more “round our Boys Won’t Get.”41 On the other hand, instead of focusing on the negative — berating those who did not show up for shifts — management also adopted a more positive and proactive approach. In 1944, the plant introduced the “100 Percent Club.”42
Admission into the club was simple — show up for every shift. For each three-month period of perfect attendance, management awarded an operator a blue chevron badge she wore on the left sleeve of her uniform at her wrist.43 A thin red chevron replaced four blue chevrons, earned non-consecutively.44 Workers who “put in full time without absence, misconduct, or lateness, for twelve consecutive months”45 merited a wide red stripe, the highest awarded emblem.46 The 100 Percent Club was exclusive, and the fifty GECOites who earned their wide red stripes wore them with pride.47
An Urgent Need — the Guns to Feed
War plants in Canada faced several hiring crises during the Second World War.48 Despite Toronto’s large population being situated only a few miles away, severe worker shortages kept GECO striving to meet their production quotas. The Hamiltons and their staff, never shying away from a challenge, strove to overcome the persistent unavailability of labour.49 Every year, the munitions-filling factory ran massive hiring campaigns in tandem with Canada’s National Selection Service.50 They made provisions to address worker childcare needs and to offer flexible shifts. The plant relaxed their employment standards, allowing anyone from seventeen to seventy to apply, and hired part-time and lower-graded workers.51 With the introduction of bulk assembly line production, increased efficiency was evident on many fuse-filling lines, calling for fewer trained personnel.52 They expanded their hiring radius as far as British Columbia.53 Management educated their entire workforce about the plant’s need for more women.54 Plant manager Major Flexman spoke to every shop on every shift to communicate the need for more employees, and handed out referral cards and “GECO News” pamphlets.55 GECO even went so far as to offer its employees GECO bumper stickers to help advertise. The stickers apparently had “a smart appearance.”56 Robert Simpson Co. set up a pair of window displays at its store for two weeks to promote both GECO and D.I.L. at no cost to the plants.57
In addition, at the end of June 1944, the Toronto Daily Star ran generous articles highlighting GECO’s pressing employment needs. In the first of a three-series set of articles, the Star considered GECO workers “life savers,” equating them to a battlefield nurse in her crisp white uniform who saved lives with her tender care.58 Of course, GECOnians were saving Canadian lives by “nursing” deadly fuses that would blow up the enemy.
War plants in Canada faced several hiring crises during the Second World War. GECO geared employment advertising toward women, and appealed to their sense of patriotism. “Ammunition Saves Lives,” one ad read. “GECO Needs 1500 More Women to Fill Fuzes [sic] to Save Lives. Tell Your Friends. Tell Your Friends to Tell Their Friends.” Courtesy of Barbara Dickson and the Scarborough Historical Board.
Bob Hamilton is quoted in the article:
Unless we in Canada can tremendously increase our production of shells, our Canadian soldiers are going to find themselves short of artillery ammunition, and when they haven’t enough artillery they have to attack with bayonet or rifle alone, and that means heavy casualties. Artillery saves lives. Every girl at General Engineering feels that the lives of her brothers, or sons, or husband, is in her hands, and they really are. If we can keep a steady stream of shells going overseas, we wil
l bring back many more of our boys alive and sound.59
10
Service with a Smile:
Departments Serving Employees
Medical: An Ounce of Prevention
Within a month of breaking ground, in March 1941 Bob and Phil Hamilton already were considering the needs of their future employee base, and organized GECO’s Medical Department.1 They estimated that the department would need to service 3,000 employees, of whom two-thirds would be women.2 Little did they know, over 21,000 employees eventually would pass through GECO’s clock house,3 and that as the war wore on, the percentage of women employed versus men would reach 95 percent.4 They had no way of anticipating how heavy the cost to property and human life would be, due to chemical poisoning, fire, and explosions, but they did know full provision had to be made for any such emergency.5 As in all other decisions, the Hamiltons took a pro-active approach, and prepared as best they could for the worst possible outcome, and then regularly tested their progress, adapting new, better, safer, and more efficient methods to ensure they minimized risk and maximized ammunition output.
In addition to preparing for the worst, as part of Bob and Phil Hamilton’s proactive strategy, they wanted to care for all non-occupational illnesses among their employees while they were on plant property.6 That meant GECO’s medical team would treat everything from runny noses to mysterious rashes. Medical Officer Dr. A.H. Jeffrey anticipated the health requirements of future GECOnians. He helped design the change houses and uniforms; he selected soap, skin cream, and towels, and helped choose sinks and toilets.7 In fact, input from GECO’s Medical Department went well beyond the change rooms. From the frequency of laundry service to the maintenance of washrooms, from ensuring buildings were ventilated properly to the proper installation of air conditioning, Dr. Jeffrey was involved with all personnel health-related decisions.8 He also spearheaded the decision to chlorinate GECO’s water supply, to preclude potential contamination from explosive dust, a serious problem at other war plants.9 Medical personnel also made careful physical examinations of all applicants, setting a high standard of physical fitness for prospective employees.10 In addition to looking for pre-existing skin conditions and chronic respiratory illnesses that might harm operators working with tetryl powder, eyesight and nimble, steady fingers were important factors as well, since good vision was required for precise filling procedures; unsteady hands could have spelled disaster.11
Bob and Phil Hamilton and Dr. Jeffrey embraced the adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Industrial medicine, as it was practised at Scarboro, was preventative in nature, designed to keep each individual healthy and capable of productive work with minimal time lost through illness.12 Records show that 85 percent of medical cases treated over the life of Scarboro were non-occupational in nature, mostly minor complaints like contending with a cold or flu.13
However, even minor illness was of concern to GECO management. Viruses had the potential to keep employees away from work, with a subsequent loss in munitions production; and yet, women who continued to work through their illnesses could spread germs within the close confines of their workshop, potentially causing an even greater loss of output. The simple common cold virus demanded diligence and required a delicate balancing act between keeping a dedicated GECOnian on the job and sending her home.
The staff of the Medical Department originally consisted of three fulltime physicians on salary and two nurses, but by May 1942 five full-time physicians were on staff to help give pre-employment medical examinations to several thousand applicants.14 A doctor was on duty on the clean side during specified hours, and employees could see him there or could drop in to the medical building during their lunch hour, or at the end of their shift.15 As the war dragged on, however, a scarcity of doctors threatened this extra service.16
In case of an emergency, an employee could obtain a “barrier pass” from their workshop supervisor and go directly to the medical building.17 An employee working on the dirty side of the plant could go to the medical building at any time. GECOite Dorothy Cheesman recalled fainting once and having to seek medical help. “I was treated very well,” she said.18
Nursing staff at GECO increased to twelve by the end of 1943, with six stationed throughout the plant, including in the change rooms at the start or end of shifts.19 The nurses advised female employees about health matters, particularly about skincare and the prevention of tetryl rash.20 Following the introduction of this proactive nursing service, the incidence of tetryl rash dropped, and other munitions plants nationwide adopted GECO’s approach to managing this occupational hazard.21 Close supervision in the change houses also helped to limit the spread of contagious diseases; nurses sent women home if they were too ill to work or seemed contagious. Through close daily association with GECO’s women operators, nurses gained enough confidence to be of invaluable help in counselling women on non-medical problems as well.22 In April 1943, GECO’s Medical Department introduced a “Visiting Nursing Service” to follow up on serious occupational and non-occupational illnesses at an employee’s home.23
GECO nurses enjoying a round of horseshoes on their lunch break. Medical staff at Scarboro included five full-time doctors and twelve nurses. Courtesy of Archives of Ontario.
Between 850 and 1,500 employees — about one in five — visited the Medical Department or the First Aid units each week during GECO’s operation, a reflection of the high degree of confidence and trust placed in GECO’s medical team, not an indication of poor health among workers.24 The medical staff probably welcomed employees warmly; there were relatively few munitions-related injuries to keep staff busy. With time on their hands, and with thousands of potential “guinea pigs” on which to experiment, medical staff tried out several innovative investigations in a sincere attempt to improve the overall health of their employees. Doctors measured employees’ hemoglobin counts to treat cases of anaemia that potentially could affect a worker’s efficiency.25 They surveyed and documented women’s menstrual histories; they also tested the effectiveness of taking daily multivitamins.26 Unfortunately, vitamin therapy resulted in no lessening in rates of absenteeism or sickness.27
During Scarboro’s history only two major events occurred that strained GECO’s medical facilities.28 The first happened overnight between the eleventh and twelfth of December 1944, when the entire night shift at the plant became “stormbound” during a blizzard with a record-breaking snowfall and freezing temperatures.29 No one was able to leave the compound until late afternoon the next day.30 The second incident occurred on January 26, 1945, when a Hollinger bus carrying employees from the afternoon shift collided with a large truck in GECO’s parking lot.31 The crash resulted in the injury of many employees, some needing hospitalization.32 One woman, GECOite Mrs. Parkes, died four days later.33 This woman’s passing, while tragic, was remarkable in that it was not munitions-related and was the only fatality recorded at GECO’s entire operation at Scarboro.34
In February and March of 1942 the Division of Industrial Hygiene, Ontario Department of Health, conducted a chest X-ray evaluation of all employees — the first industrial analysis of its magnitude to be undertaken in Ontario.35 Dr. Jeffrey explained that “the number of Scarboro employees working in close contact with each other and, in particular, the presence of a large group of young women from eighteen to thirty years of age made such a survey desirable and knowledge was also required as to what extent pulmonary diseases might be an occupational hazard.”36 This first check comprised 5,424 employees, with another round of X-rays nine months later encompassing 2,281 individuals, including all new employees hired since the first analysis.37 In January and February of 1944 another assessment was made of all employees.38 Staff paid special attention to X-rays of operators who worked with explosive powders.39 It was found that these powders had no negative effects on the lungs, which was a relief to all.40 It was not all good news, though. The first round of X-rays showed nineteen employees with active pulmonary tuber
culosis, of which fifteen were sent to a sanatorium for treatment.41 Another thirty-one cases were questionably active.42 The prevalence of active TB among GECO’s population was 0.54 percent for men and 0.28 percent among women employees.43 From a contagion and health perspective, government and health experts considered these rates very satisfactory in view of the age groups involved.44 Questionable cases worked only during the day and learned about disease control.45 In the second assessment at the end of 1942, only one active case of tuberculosis required treatment.46 While they wanted to be helpful in conducting the health survey, in an ironic twist, both the Medical Department and management had to dispel rumours that a worker could “catch” tuberculosis from being in close contact with fellow fuse-fillers in windowless air-conditioned workshops.47
In April 1943 GECO introduced an employee Sick Benefit Plan.48 Employees could receive $10.00 per week for female workers and $15.00 per week for male employees, due to illness or accident, up to 13 weeks.49 A doctor’s certificate was necessary to apply for benefits.50 The monthly cost to the employee to enroll in this plan was $1.13 for female employees and $1.73 for men.51 Employees could also purchase hospital insurance for stays of up to twenty-one days per year.52 Coverage was split into three categories: single men and women; married women with or without children and married men with children; and wives of members of the armed forces without children.53
Bomb Girls Page 17
