In an effort to explain the difficulties blacks had with getting jobs in Peoria’s construction industry, the two contractors at the meeting claimed that they hired men sent to them by the unions and the unions rarely sent black workers. No union representatives were present to comment.
Local president of the NAACP John Gwynn expressed frustration at the lack of black workers sent by unions to contracting jobs stating, “We’ve gone all out. We’ve begged the unions and trades to assist.”
The apprentice programs were spotlighted as another area where black workers had difficulty finding positions in. As Frank Campbell, the director of the Tr-County Urban League, explained “Apprentice programs are where the least amount of (Negro) craftsmen have come from, even though that may be the best way to train them.”