By Mary Malloy
Celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, the LIRR is the busiest railway in the United States.
Nassau Community College chose Williams as its first speaker for their Women in History series. She spoke at the college on March 3.
Helena Williams says that the Long Island Rail Road has attained a "moderate degree" of success in giving women advancement opportunities.
"In its 175-year history," Williams said, "the railroad has, in many ways, long been dominated by males - but my employees and commuters don't really care that I am a woman. What they care about is on-time performance. It's very much a performance-oriented business." Williams boasts a 95 percent on time record, and added, "Women want to be evaluated by their success, not by their gender."
The railroad, which last year carried more than 87 million customers, has 6,800 employees, of which almost 16 percent are women. Twenty-one percent of those women hold managerial positions. "We have made progress," said Williams, "since less than five percent of our workforce were women in 1977."
The history of the LIRR
In 1905, LIRR President Ralph Peters wanted to promote Long Island as a center of agriculture and a vacation spot for its passengers. The land was mostly barren at that time, and the train was used for hauling freight. He hired agriculturist Hal B. Fullerton, who purchased land in Wading River that was not optimal for farming, to prove that any of Long Island's soil could produce a good crop. Fullerton, also a photographer, called this land Peace and Plenty. His wife, Edith, wrote the articles that accompanied his photos. At the time, he called her his "junior partner." In 1915, Edith became the LIRR's first woman to be appointed to a managerial position as the director of agriculture. Fullerton later admitted that it was Edith's participation that lead to the LIRR's success.
"Ironically, though," said Williams, "when she was to receive a pay raise, they notified Mr. Fullerton, not Edith. That doesn't happen today."
The "Wheels" of World War II
When able-bodied men were called off to serve in World War II in the early 1940s, women at the railroad who had been hired for cleaning and clerical jobs soon advanced to yardmen, trainmen and brakemen (gender-neutral terms for these jobs were not in use then.) The work was much more strenuous and sophisticated than the women had been used to. By April,1943, 20 women were regularly employed with the LIRR. These women were nicknamed "Wheels."
Also during this time, women first made the announcements at Penn Station in Manhattan. The New York Times, in its Oct. 5, 1944 editorial "Women Train Callers Praised," said that it was an "infinite improvement.
"The clear, syllable-perfect announcements at Pennsylvania Station nowadays are a cause for public satisfaction," the writer said. "We hope that the women would not be dismissed after the war ends."
Unfortunately, this was not the case. Some of the women stayed, but most of those who did went back to the more traditional jobs.
The 1970s - a time for change
In 1973, nondiscrimination laws forced the LIRR to open up conductor and other positions. Maureen Shores, a former Roman Catholic nun, was the first woman to operate a diesel locomotive from Montauk. In the spring of 1979, the railroad's first all-female train service conductor class was graduated. Then-president Francis Gabreski wanted to highlight opportunities for women in the workplace, so he arranged the first all-female crew, consisting of a conductor, a brakeman and ticket collectors.
Women at the LIRR today
"I have one of the first female chiefs of police, Kathleen M. Finneran, who answers to me," Williams said. "It's really important to have diversity in the workplace - not just women. It enriches the operation tremendously."
Williams said that she sees a very bright future for the LIRR, but as far as women, she said that the numbers are not as strong as she would like to see. "There are more females in the conductor titles than engineers. The conductor's job is to manage the train, and also supervise the crew. The engineer operates the train and is also in charge its mechanics and its speed.
"There are 700 miles of track to learn," Williams said of the engineer's responsibilities. "It's a very complicated job that requires in-depth training. We are trying to modernize and use the Internet as a training tool. We want them to succeed."
Comments about this story? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
