Founded in 1921 as a separate Wharton department, the Industrial Research Unit has a long record of publication and research in the labor market, productivity, union relations, and business report fields. Major Industrial Research Unit studies as published as research projects are completed. This volume is Study no. 46.

The industries covered are these six: automobile, aerospace, steel, rubber tire, petroleum, and chemical. Among the major questions explored are: How have these industries responded to the black labor market at hand? What are the key elements affecting black employment and advancement? What real effect has court action had on the problem of assigning blacks their rightful place in the seniority order?

This study is based upon individual reports on specific industries first published in the Racial Policies of American Industry series. New, updated material has been added, and the first chapter is designed to give an overview of the several industries discussed. A final chapter compares and contrasts the situations in the six industries.