A Credit to Your Race
The three evils that plague America are racism, economic oppression, and sexism. We see these forces oppress Third World people everyday, at work, on the streets, in schools, in the media, everywhere. Third World people face not only blatant forms of oppression, but also many hidden less noticeable forms. For three years I was employed as a worker in a S.F. financial district credit union. Being a Third World woman employed by this white financial institution, I developed a much clearer understanding of these oppressive forces. Here, complex and specialized techniques were utilized to keep Third World people down and women in their place.
While I was there, I was the only Third World person employed by this credit union. Being the nice Chinese girl that I was, they hardly expected me to understand and reject their oppressive system. When I started working, I noticed that no women ever rose to positions of management. Some women were employed there for eighteen years, and they never advanced to higher positions. It was very evident that these women had been oppressed for so long that they didn't even consider raising in position or learning to take leadership responsibility. Many women would say, "Only a man could handle a job like that, women just wouldn't know what to do." It was clear that they were carefully selected and hired by the bosses. I was hired because the boss enjoyed hiring nice, sweet and hardworking Chinese girls. "They always contribute so much to our office." This credit union would never hire Spanish-speaking women, nor did the union even interview Blacks. The reason for this will soon become evident.
One of the most oppressive tactics of this office was their loan application code system. We were instructed to make applications using a secret code to indicate various irrelevant qualities of the applicant. We were told to mark a circle around the word DATE if the applicant was Black, or if we felt the person to be a bad risk. Cases where people had long hair, "strange habits," or weird clothes were automatically considered bad risks to the union. A line through the word DATE indicated that the women looked pregnant. These two indicators are the only ways that the credit committee would know if the applicant is Black, a suspected bad risk, or a woman possibly about to leave her job. A pregnant woman is too much of a bother to deal with in collecting loan payments. Third World pregnant women are not even considered for a loan.
When code markings are indicated, the credit committee immediately goes over the application with a fine tooth comb. They demand thorough credit checks, thorough employer interviews, complete checks on personal references, and a check as to what the money will be used for. In most of these cases the applicant is required to furnish a co-signer for loans, and then, rarely applications over $750.00. After one and a half weeks of this type of harassment, loan applications become rejected for one reason or another, or the applicant would finally become discouraged and decide to forget the whole business.
If the AMOUNT IN SAVINGS is circled, this indicates to the credit committee that this applicant is a typical white upper-middle class person. Management, upon seeing this, quickly approves these loans, and gets the money out quickly with no form of harassment.
Whenever Asians came in, they were labeled with a circle around the word VA I TE but with additional comments that this applicant is probably a good risk because "These people have good work records ... .. Chinese never give us any trouble, they're so well trained." "Why can't more people be like them?"
Again and again, Third World people are subjectively labeled. Third World people, especially Blacks, are kept in their place by not receiving any support or aid to pay off bills, doctor, and other medical costs, family expenses, taxes, and other day-to-day needs. People of the white middle class, however, are allowed and encouraged to buy an extra car, take European trips, build boats, redecorate their homes, and to send their sons off the high-cost colleges.
Once in a while, the office workers would realize how exploitative theirjobs are, but because of employer intimidation the employee is quickly put down and reprimanded.
My last summer there was the worst. One other woman and myself tried to talk the other workers into striking for better pay, better advancement opportunities, and for stopping the discriminatory practices that we were forced to carry on. We all talked about these over coffee and lunch, and it caused a lot of internal struggle. Some women were fearful of losing their jobs; some women had defeatist attitudes; some women who were closer to the management threatened to inform on us. We won over some of the women during our conferences outside of the office and we decided to call a meeting with the management. The only problem was that when we came back to the office, the women refused to follow through. The bosses could feel some tension in the office, and quickly crushed any confrontations. They threatened and intimidated the workers beforehand by telling them that they weren't working efficiently enough, that they were coming in late too often, that they would have to work overtime if they didn't start thinking of the office first and themselves second.
I was caught not labeling applications, and my boss called me into his office. He demanded to know why a loan for $1,500.00 was approved and that I had not indicated that the applicant was Black. I said that I felt that marking the application was irrelevant. When I pointed out that just as many white people had bad credit as anyone else, he threatened me "If the loan isn't paid back on time, you will have to take the responsibility of getting the money into this office." As I left, the boss looked at the application and analyzed the situation. He Pell that because I was 11 young, idealistic, and sentimental" I could not realize that I was being economically harmful to the credit union. He also felt that I will sooner or later realize why the system works as it does. Yes, he was right, I do realize. Clearly the system demonstrates that it works to keep Third World workers and women oppressed and isolated.
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Section 3: Working Women
Women in Chinatown
New York Schools
Interview with a Garment Worker
A Credit to Your Race
Interview with an Ex-Secretary
GI's and Asian Women
Section 2: Present Workers' Conditions
A Life of Struggle, The Bitter Sadness
Things I Saw and Heard Working in A Restaurant
Interview - Account of An Injured Chinese Restaurant Worker
Restaurant Workers Unite
Working in a Packing House
The Best or the Worst
Strike Scared Emporium
Story of an "illegal" Immigrant Worker
Section 4: Chinese Youth
New York Police Harass Youth
Los Angeles Police Harass Chinese Community
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