Joe Jacobs, Lucille Thornburgh, and Union Organziers Interview 4

Partial Transcript: GEORGE STONEY: Be looking into those same faces. If you could explain why what happened in '34, what happened before you had a large number of blacks in the mill and in the union, why that should be important to them.

Segment Synopsis: This segment discusses the relaveance of the textile workers' strike of '34 for working class African Americans in the 1990s.

Keywords: African-American mill workers; segregation; women mill workers

Subjects: African American clergy; African Americans--Segregation; Ku Klux Klan (1915- ); Textile Workers' Strike (Southern States : 1934); Textile workers; Working class African Americans

Partial Transcript: JOE JACOBS: Well one additional thing that we have to remember, and this transcends the looking at the faces, and that is this, that any progress that was made in the Civil Rights movement, from Dr. King down, was made by coalition.

Segment Synopsis: This segment discusses the need for coalitions of like minded people to work together to advance the goals of the Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement, and how people from both of these movements need to work together to affect the social change they desire to see.

Subjects: American Civil War (1861-1865); Civil rights; History; Labor Unions

Partial Transcript: M1: Well you were asking earlier how we got to the point right now, why are we organizing in various capacities that we are. And that it real clear to me, I would not be doing this if it had not been for the Civil Rights movement.

Keywords: prejudice; racism

Subjects: Civil rights; Segregation in education; Working class women

Partial Transcript: GEORGE STONEY: Well its gonna be a splendid family, no doubt about it. I have Southern relatives, there are certain things that I should talk about but I don't.

Segment Synopsis: Joe Jacobs discuss the importance of continuing the struggle in both the Labor movement and the Civil Rights movement, even though the some of the orginal goals have been met.

Subjects: Automobile industry workers--Labor unions; Civil rights; Labor Unions

Partial Transcript: GEORGE STONEY: Now, but we got a point where there is gonna be conflict. For example we went to Newnan Georgia where they've had a reunion for the last 28 years of people from East Newnan Cotton Mill.

Segment Synopsis: The union organizers discuss how to deal with the discomfort raised by memories of the strike in their communities.

Keywords: East Newnan Cotton Mill; newsreels

Subjects: Textile Workers' Strike (Southern States : 1934); Textile workers--Labor unions

Partial Transcript: LUCILLE THORNBURGH: We we're talking awhile ago, you said it, uh about not seeing any black faces in the 1934 strike. Now when we had our strike up there in Knoxville, somebody asked me just a few years ago, "Well why didn't you have any black members there?"

Segment Synopsis: Lucille Thornburgh and Joe Jacobs discuss how union contracts have changed over the years.

Keywords: African-American mill workers; eight hour workday; labor legislation

Subjects: African Americans--Segregation; Coal miners--Labor unions--Organizing; Labor Unions; Working class African Americans

Partial Transcript: GEORGE STONEY: Now progress hasn't just gone up. There is a lot of slipping back. And one of the clearest indications of that, is this sign right back here, which says "Committee of Concerned Employees over 12 Hour Shifts".

Segment Synopsis: Various organizers talk about how Fieldcrest Mills has tried to instate 12 hour shifts in various departments in the plant and the need to educate workers about the union.

Keywords: aftermath of the strike; eight hour workday; spinning; stretch-out; union organizing

Subjects: Civil rights; Labor unions--Officials and employees; Textile workers--Labor unions