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Bell, Rose (audio interview #2 of 2)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - The circumstances of the interview are not known, particularly since Bell was a member of the ILGWU, not the ACWA, which was the focus of the interviews by Feichtinger. Another woman was present during the interview and often chimed in. TOPICS - union benefits; feminism; views on women's status; union activities; and union participation in Russia;family history; attitudes towards unionism; political climate in Russia; attitudes towards women and women's liberation movement; immigration to US; family life; parents; education; and gender roles; 1/4/1975
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- 2020-04-02
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- SUBJECT BIO - Rose Bell, like many women in the needle trades in the 1920s, worked at the grass roots level to unionize her fellow working women. Born to and raised in a relatively privileged Jewish family in Kiev, Russia, she became involved with workers organizing a union there after the Russian Revolution when she was only fourteen. She married four years later and a year later, emigrated to Poland with her husband and baby. By the time they immigrated to the US, in approximately 1924, her husband was too ill to work and she went to work in the women's clothing industry. She participated in strikes in New York, occasionally, and after she moved to Chicago in 1930, became more active. She participated in the 1933 ILGWU strike and joined the union at that time. Not much is known about her life after this period although it is clear that she remained actively engaged in the union. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - The circumstances of the interview are not known, particularly since Bell was a member of the ILGWU, not the ACWA, which was the focus of the interviews by Feichtinger. Another woman was present during the interview and often chimed in. TOPICS - union benefits; feminism; views on women's status; union activities; and union participation in Russia;family history; attitudes towards unionism; political climate in Russia; attitudes towards women and women's liberation movement; immigration to US; family life; parents; education; and gender roles;
- File: lhgwrbell5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:50)... Bell felt it was important to "do good things" and help people by introducing them to the union. She was a strong believer in the benefits of the union, and this belief was reaffirmed when she learned she would be receiving an increase in her pension payments. (3:50-14:31)... Bell discusses the status of women in society and the physical and domestic burdens they carry because of their reproductive responsibilities. This means that they had to battle against a system that does not compensate them for their worth. She ascribes her her ideals to growing up in a middle-class Jewish family prior to WWI. She believe that women will not be able to achieve equality until they figure out what their goals are and avoid thinking that they "don't need a man." It is necessary for changes to be made in politics and the economy so that women's burdens are eased. (14:31-20:57)... Bell talks about family dynamics and the changes in the parent-child relationship. She believes that the family is the core of civilization and when people attempt to change the natural order of the family, society's morals will continue to decline. She concludes that it is important that any changes in the social order benefit women and release them from burden "so that they do not run away from tradition." (20:57-27:06)... Bell places much more importance on idealism and education than materialism. She enjoyed pursuing an education and taking college courses in labor economics because it helped her understand the labor movement and the union. She attributes her ideals to the labor changes in Russia following WWI. In 1918, when unions began organizing in the eastern part of Russia, she participated. Although she was fourteen, she helped organize the first union in her town because the workers were illiterate. She was the secretary for this union for approximately three months, at which time they asked her to leave because she was not part of the working class. End of tape. File: lhgwrbell6.mp3 (0:00-1:39)... Bell discusses her experiences organizing a labor union in Russia when she was fourteen years old. Her father supported the labor union and increased his workers' wages when the union was organized. Her mother, however, was not happy about this arrangement which was one reason why immigrated to the US. (1:39-4:02)... Bell married when she was nineteen years old. Her husband, who was a Polish citizen, was approximately six years older than her. They already had a small baby when they left Russia in 1918. She again recounts the political climate in Russia during WWI and the Russian Revolution. (4:02-6:26)... Bell reiterates her experiences following her emigration to Poland, but then shifts her focus to talk about the women's liberation movement. She sees a parallel between women's emphasis on independence and what she wanted for herself when she was a young woman. (6:26-10:25)... While living in Poland, Bell received assistance from a Polish welfare agency until her brothers were able to send her enough money to pay for her passage to the US. She never expected to see her husband again after he was drafted into the Polish army. When he did return to Poland, they traveled through Germany and France before boarding a ship to the US. The passage to the US cost $300-400, and by the time they arrived in the US, they only had $8 to their name. Her husband was very ill and had to be hospitalized at that time. (10:25-12:58)... Bell's husband was very ill when they immigrated to the US and was not able to work. She supported the family by working in a garment shop, earning $14-$15/week week sewing snaps and hooks and eyes on clothing. In the evenings, she attended night school to learn English because her cousins called her a "greenhorn." She attended school for six years and knew how to speak, read and write English by her early twenties. (12:58-15:28)... In 1927-28, the unions began organizing women employed in the needle trades. It was much more difficult to organize women than men because women did not understand how unions would improve their lives. They were burdened with domestic and family responsibilities and often did not have time to learn about issues related to politics or society. She wanted to improve her intellect by attending school but juggling work, school, and family certainly made her life much more difficult. (15:28-20:42)... Bell was raised in an environment where education was denied to women. Her father told her that women did not have to go to school because their primary roles were marrying and raising children. It was not until political stability came to the area where which they lived that schools were opened for both boys and girls. Commercial schools, however, only allowed boys to enroll in its programs. Her experiences influenced her ideals regarding women's rights. She feels that women should be pampered and well paid for their work. (20:42-22:21)... Bell describes herself as a "real European working women," but she understands the issues facing American women and has dealt with all of the hardships that women face both in the home and in the needle trades. She is also an example of someone who has benefited from the union, which is illustrated by the amount of money she receives from her union pension. (22:21-26:49)... When Bell first entered the needle trades in 1921, workers wanted an institution in place that would improve their wages and working conditions. She was proud that she was part of an organization that benefited the working class. She talks about the reasons that Europeans immigrated to the US and how the majority of people in the needle trades and the union were immigrants. End of tape.
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