📜 WPA Form 402: How Workers Were Assigned to New Deal Projects During the Great Depression DO NOT USE COMBINED WITH OTHER PAGE.

💡 Explore WPA Form 402, the official reassignment slip used to notify workers of new job placements in federally funded projects during the Great Depression. Learn about how the New Deal provided employment, the hiring preferences given to veterans and families, and the challenges of WPA labor assignments. A valuable resource for teachers, students, genealogists, and historians.

Part 1, WPA Form 402 Reassignment Slip Issued on Behalf of Frank Province, Laborer, for a WPA Project Located at Kenwood Park in Saline County, 30 July 1936. GGA Image ID # 1539bfc374

WPA Form 402 (Revised 1936-08-15) Notice to Report for Work on Project, Part 5 To Worker, Issued to William Frank Province on 17 February 1937, Unskilled Laborer on WPA Road Project. GGA Image ID # 153a0d1c6b

WPA Form 402 (Revised 1936-08-15) Notice to Report for Work on Project, Part 5 To Worker, Issued to Frank Province on 19 August 1937, Skilled Carpenter, at WPA Community Sanitation Project. GGA Image ID # 153a28c931

📖 Historical Context: How WPA Assignments Worked

The WPA was the largest federal work relief program established under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1935, employing millions of unemployed Americans in public works, infrastructure, conservation, and community projects. However, employment in the WPA was not permanent, and workers were often reassigned from one project to another as funding, seasons, or project demands shifted.

📌 The WPA Form 402 – Reassignment Slip was the official document used to notify workers of their reassignment. When a WPA worker was transferred to a new project, they received this form instructing them to report for duty.

📌 Key Facts About WPA Assignments:

WPA employment was subject to strict eligibility criteria, including financial need and family size.

Veterans, their wives, and widows received special employment preference, as determined by multiple legislative acts between 1937 and 1943.

A worker could be reassigned multiple times within the WPA system, as demonstrated in the case of Frank Province, whose reassignments are documented in this collection.

📌 Single individuals without dependents were deprioritized in assignments, though this policy was later reconsidered.

🏗️ WPA Form 402 Reassignment Slips (1936-1937)

📜 Artifact Description:

Official document used to reassign WPA workers to new projects.

Includes worker's name, job title, location of assignment, date of employment, and foreman approval.

In some cases, the slip was rejected by project managers, and the worker had to return to the WPA office for a different placement.

📌 Why is it Interesting?

Provides a tangible record of how labor was assigned within the New Deal relief system.

Shows how job security was fragile, with workers frequently shifting between projects.

Illustrates the bureaucratic nature of federal employment during the Great Depression.

Example: Frank Province’s Work History

The article highlights the repeated reassignments of Frank Province, a WPA laborer. His documented transfers reveal how workers were moved across various WPA-funded projects, including:

✅ July 30, 1936: Assigned as a laborer at Kenwood Park (Saline County, Arkansas).

✅ February 17, 1937: Reassigned as an unskilled laborer on a WPA road project.
✅ August 19, 1937: Transferred again—this time as a skilled carpenter on a WPA sanitation project.

📌 What Makes This Interesting?

Demonstrates social mobility within the WPA system, as Province went from an unskilled laborer to a skilled carpenter in just one year.

Reflects the versatility of WPA job placements, where workers could be moved across various public works projects based on local demand.

Highlights the uncertainty and instability of WPA employment, with workers frequently reassigned.

📋 Employment Preferences & Worker Selection

One of the most important and debated aspects of WPA hiring was who got jobs first when positions became available.

📌 Key Policies:

✔️ Veterans, their wives, and widows were given hiring preference over non-veterans.

✔️ Workers with larger families had priority over those with fewer dependents.

✔️ WPA funds were limited, meaning that not all eligible applicants could be assigned to work immediately.

✔️ Single, able-bodied individuals were given lowest priority for jobs.

📌 What Makes This Interesting?

Reveals how federal employment policies shaped families’ survival during the Great Depression.

Shows how government programs directly influenced hiring decisions, unlike private industry.

Explains why some individuals remained unemployed despite WPA funding.

🔎 Relevance to WPA and New Deal History

📌 For Teachers & Students:

These forms serve as primary sources for studying the bureaucratic operations of the WPA.

Illustrates how federal work programs were structured and administered at the local level.

Provides insight into the employment struggles of everyday Americans during the 1930s.

📌 For Genealogists:

These forms may contain valuable information about an ancestor’s employment history.

Can be used to trace where a family member worked and how they moved through various WPA projects.

Could provide leads for searching local WPA project records to learn more about specific job assignments.

📌 For Historians & Labor Scholars:

Highlights the role of government in shaping employment policies during economic crises.

Sheds light on the challenges of federally managed labor programs and their limitations.

Provides insight into how public works jobs were allocated and distributed among workers.

⚖️ Discussion of Bias in the Content

📌 Potential Biases in WPA Hiring Policies:

The preference for veterans and their families may have excluded other vulnerable individuals from WPA employment opportunities.

The prioritization of larger families over single individuals reflected traditional family-based economic policies rather than individual need.

The WPA emphasized employment over direct financial relief, which meant that some people in extreme poverty (especially those unable to work) were left out of assistance programs.

📌 Potential Bias in Historical Records:

Government documents often frame programs in a positive light, downplaying the frustrations of workers who could not get stable employment.

The focus on veterans and large families in the article suggests that the WPA sought to justify its hiring priorities rather than acknowledge those who were excluded.

📌 Why Does This Matter?

Understanding bias in WPA hiring helps contextualize the struggles faced by unemployed Americans and provides insight into the political and economic considerations of federal relief programs.

🏗️ Final Thoughts: Why This Document Matters

The WPA Form 402 Reassignment Slip offers a rare and valuable glimpse into how unemployed workers were assigned to federal jobs during the Great Depression. These documents help tell the story of real people who relied on WPA jobs to survive, providing teachers, students, genealogists, and historians with critical evidence of how the New Deal transformed the American workforce.

📌 Ultimately, these records illustrate how government policies shaped individual lives—proving that even a simple job reassignment slip could mean the difference between survival and destitution. 💪🏽🏗️🚧

📣 Call to Action for Researchers:

🕵🏽 Are you looking for a family member who worked in the WPA? Check local archives, labor union records, and historical newspapers for mentions of WPA projects in your area! 📜