Buffalo, New York. Women employed inside open hearth furnace as bricklayers' helpers at the Republic Steel. When the end of a chamber is knocked out, there are about 5000 bricks to be lifted and removed. Bricks weigh about eight pounds each

Buffalo, New York. Women have entirely replaced men as chainmen or "hookers" in the finishing department of Republic Steel. "Hookers" place slings and chains around material to be hoisted by cranes so that it can be moved to another section of the plant or loaded onto freight trains

Buffalo, New York. In the finishing department of Republic Steel. Gladys Chase (left), former beautician, using an acetylene torch to burn defects from a twenty-foot steel billet which will later be shaped into a machine gun barrel. It takes six months to learn this process, which is called scarfing

Buffalo, New York. All "hookers" in the processing department of Republic Steel are women. Resting on a pile of billets, they are eating lunch on the job

Buffalo, New York. Mrs. Frances O'Neil, a "hooker," has been with Republic Steel since December, 1942. Hookers place slings and chains around material to be hoisted by the crane

Buffalo, New York. Symington-Gould, makers of tank, ship, and railroad parts. Women sweepers in front of ladle into which metal from open-hearth furnace is poured, and which is then transported by crane to molds. Most new women employees are given clear-up jobs to start with in order to accustom the

Buffalo, New York. After placing chains around steel bars, "hookers" give signal to the crane operator to hoist in the finishing department of Republic Steel

Buffalo, New York. Esther O'Hara, twenty-six, is a shearman's helper trimming defects from machine gun barrels at Republic Steel. She prefers her job to housework

Buffalo, New York. Women workers leaving the Republic Steel plant. Open hearth furnaces in the background