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Rozner, Sarah (audio interview #12 of 20)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is an addendum to the Sarah Rozner series designed to detail very specific events discussed in earlier interviews. This interview was conducted on July 14, 1976, two years following the interview of July 2, 1974. As in that 1974 interview, Rozner lacked enthusiasm about the oral history, in contrast to the first eighteen interviews. TOPICS - family background; childhood experiences in Hungary; settling in Chicago; living conditions there; 1910 strike, impact on family and development of union consciousness;activities during the 1910 strike; and the economic impact of strike on her family; 7/14/1976
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- 2020-04-06
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- SUBJECT BIO - Sarah Rozner joined the ranks of the labor movement the minute she set foot on US soil and began working in men's clothing in Chicago just prior to the 1910 strike. She organized practically every shop in which she worked - unless she was fired first - and was particularly interested in mobilizing women and helping them to assert their rights. Her woman/feminist consciousness led her to work on the establishment of a Woman's Local of the ACWA in Chicago (Local 275). She worked with other women in the ACWA to establish a Woman's Bureau, but did not succeed. She became one of the first women Business Agents in tailoring in Chicago in 1921, and held various positions in the shops and in the union. When she moved to Los Angeles in 1938, she continued to organize at the shop level, establishing education programs for workers at Louart. She continued to advocate for women, and when she retired in 1959, she established a scholarship for women. Even after her retirement, Rozner remained involved with the union, became a member of CLUW (Coalition of Labor Women) after its formation, and remained outspoken on women's issues, particularly in the labor movement. The interviews with Rozner totaled almost hours, divided fairly evenly between her activities in Chicago and in Los Angeles. She was interviewed as part of the Feminist History Research Project labor series, referred by the ACWA. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is an addendum to the Sarah Rozner series designed to detail very specific events discussed in earlier interviews. This interview was conducted on July 14, 1976, two years following the interview of July 2, 1974. As in that 1974 interview, Rozner lacked enthusiasm about the oral history, in contrast to the first eighteen interviews. TOPICS - family background; childhood experiences in Hungary; settling in Chicago; living conditions there; 1910 strike, impact on family and development of union consciousness;activities during the 1910 strike; and the economic impact of strike on her family;
- File: lhgwsrozner39.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-1:35)... [Note: this is an addendum to the Sarah Rozner series, conducted two years after the last interview. In these last two interviews, Rozner lacked her enthusiasm to participate.] There is a long pause before the interview begins. (1:35-12:21)... Rozner recounts the arrest of her father in Hungary, allegedly for murdering a young boy. She believes that anti-Semitism caused many of the residents to conspire against her family, and particularly her father because he was a religious Jew. After a court battle, her father was released from jail and the charges were dropped when the witnesses against him contradicted themselves in court. (12:21-14:52)... As a child, her living conditions were meager. The family slept in the same room on rollaway beds and their water supply was pumped in or retrieved from a community well. She recalls one evening when she went to get water from the well with her older brother. When she saw the moonlight reflecting off the well water she asked her brother who was responsible for making the moon. He replied, "God", and when she asked who made God, he told her to never ask that question again. (14:52-21:48)... After immigrating to the United States, she lived in Chicago in a six-room apartment with six siblings, her parents, and one boarder. Her father used one of the three bedrooms as a synagogue. There was a bathroom in the hall and a sink in the kitchen with running water. It was very cold in the winter, and because they lived above a junk shop, they often had problems with rats. The rent was $8 a week. (21:48-27:21)... Their furnishings were sparse: a table and chairs, beds, and a wardrobe where their clothing was kept. In 1911, the family moved to a better apartment. By this time, only Rozner and two of her siblings were still living at home. Her father performed wedding ceremonies, but did not have a congregation at this new apartment. At the first apartment, her father established a synagogue and held lessons there every Friday and Saturday. (27:21-30:56)... Rozner's mother went to a butcher shop outside of the neighborhood because they did not live in a Jewish community. Rozner was the only one who contributed to the family income. During the 1910 strike, however, she and all of her siblings were on strike and the family had no income. (30:56-45:33)... During the 1910 strike, she participated in picketing. She recalls fasting and being very hungry because there was no money to buy food. At this time, picketers were not fed in the strike hall. There was a restaurant where picketers could purchase a ticket for a small price and receive a full meal. They were also given coupons to get bread and other food products from a warehouse. Her family's clothing was very poor at this time. Rozner's sister, Rose, stopped attending school because she did not have any shoes to wear. Rozner and her sister-in-law shared one skirt between them and the rest of the time Rozner wore an apron. These poor conditions prompted Rozner to consider returning to work. However, before she did so, she invited her mother to a union meeting, where the speakers were from various nationalities. After the meeting, Rozner's mother refused to let her go back to work. A neighbor recommended that Rozner go to the Jewish Aid Society for assistance. Rozner recalls that the woman at the society was very condescending and made her feel bad for seeking assistance. She later answered an advertisement for workers at a hat factory. Although they were initially hesitant to hire her, Rozner got this job and quickly advanced, earning $7 per week. She purchased some clothing and helped her family. She worked at this shop for three weeks and then when back to Hart, Schaffner, and Marx after the strike was settled. end of tape File: lhgwsrozner40.mp3 (0:00-10:18)... After her father educated her about labor strikes, she attended a union meeting where she heard a Yiddish speech on workers uniting for the 1910 labor strike. During the strike, there were several marches and she recalls that some of the picketers were killed. The picketers participated in a very emotional funeral procession to mourn these workers. She believes that the strike was successful as a result of the help of Jane Addams and other social workers who helped the picketers. She was very hesitant to provide details of her activities during the strike, indicating that this information is "personal." She does, however, admit that her brother and other workers went to the homes of scabs and physically beat them. To this day, she cannot be near a scab. She recalls that the union often hired scabs as Business Agents, but she could not associate with them. During the 1910 strike she mainly picketed and distributed leaflets, indicating that most of her activity occurred during the 1915 strike when her intellectual and social consciousness became "civilized." (10:18-14:45)... Prior to the 1910 strike, she was earning $8-9 a week at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx. She picketed for three weeks straight and most of her clothing wore out. Prior to the strike, she wore a skirt and a blouse, and typically borrowed clothing from other family members. Her mother was not very frugal and did not manage money well. Rozner gave all of her earnings to her mother who was supposed to manage the household budget. However, in 1912-13, Rozner told her mother that she was going to leave if the money was not properly spent. She recalls that her mother took on a lot of credit at the stores until they stopped granting it because of outstanding balances. Her mother did the same while the family was still living in Hungary; she often pawned things from the home so that they could eat a good meal on Sabbath. End of tape
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