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Aliotto, Marie (audio interview #2 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of three interviews conducted with Marie Aliotto as part of a series on the Chicago Women's Local (275). The interview was conducted by Kris Feichtinger, in cooperation with the Feminist History Research Project in Los Angeles. The details of the recording session are unknown. TOPICS - career expectations; early work experiences in the garment industry; unionism; family life; attitudes towards marriage and romantic relationships; social life; social activities; work schedule; and upward mobility;family background; family life; childhood; ethnic neighborhoods; religious traditions and cultural customs; household responsibilities; parents; siblings; and childbirth;family life; family history; living arrangements; siblings; union activities; Local 275; chairlady responsibilities; working conditions; and wages; 10/23/1974
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- File: lhgwmaliotto4.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-1:03)... When Aliotto was a young woman she had aspirations to pursue a career in nursing. However, as she recalls, at least two years of high school were required to enter a nursing program and she only had an eighth-grade education. She thought about attending night school to obtain her high-school diploma, but this was not possible after her father died and she had to get a second job. (1:03-9:19)... Aliotto recounts finding work in the garment industry. At the second shop where she worked (Progress Tailoring Company), she earned $12/week sewing linings into coats. She had worked there for about six months when the ACWA began an organizing drive to unionize the garment shops in the Chicago area. When she joined the ACWA in 1919, her wages increased to $17/week. (9:19-10:35)... If her father had not died, Aliotto probably would have gone to night school to prepare herself for a nursing program. Her father wanted to open a store and she may have worked at the store if he had realized his dreams. However, her main ambition in life was to become a nurse. During WWII, the ACWA offered first aid classes and Aliotto was sent to the Red Cross to learn techniques so that she could teach them to the other women in the union. (10:35-13:11)... Early in life, Aliotto believed that she would eventually marry and her career in the garment industry would end. However, she did not want her mother to be left alone to care for her young children without any solid financial support. As years past, Aliotto became picky about the men she dated. She discusses a man she dated for several years. The relationship ended when he became frustrated with Aliotto's persistence that she work to provide financial support for her family. Aliotto's siblings married when they were young adults. (13:11-19:20)... The people with whom Allioto socialized outside of work were neighborhood friends. Along with her brothers, she was a member of "All Indians" [Athletic and Social Club.] Another favorite social activity of hers was dancing. After her shift ended at the movie theater, she went to Columbia Hall and danced until midnight. She only got about five hours of sleep each night. The lack of sleep and her busy work schedule eventually took a toll on her and she began to shake and came down with pneumonia. A doctor advised her that she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and that she should quit her evening job. Aliotto talks about her schedule and her experiences working as a cashier at the movie theater. (19:20-21:02)... After Aliotto's father died, the foreman at the clothing factory where she was employed (Progress Tailoring Company) offered her a better paying position as a lining maker. At that time, she began operating machinery and her wages increased. End of tape. File: lhgwmaliotto5.mp3 (0:00-2:00)... When she quit her second job at the movie theater, her younger brother got a job to help support the family; her younger sister moved to Milwaukee to live with an aunt; and another sister married at the age of sixteen and left the house. This meant fewer mouths to feed in the Aliotto household. Their rent was $30/month and they lived comfortably on Aliotto's income. Although her mother was eligible for a widow's pension, Aliotto felt that as long as she could support her family they did not need state assistance. (2:00-4:56)... Aliotto's maternal grandfather owned two farms in Italy and her mother worked on the farm when she was a young woman. After she married and gave birth to her first child, she became a wet nurse for a countess who lived in the village. The countess treated her well and often gave her jewelry on special occasions. Aliotto's father immigrated to the US in 1900. In 1902, Aliotto's mother and two young sons left Italy for the US. (4:56-13:38)... Aliotto discusses her parents' background. Her father worked in a spaghetti factory in Italy. Her family immigrated to the US because they believed "the streets were paved with gold." In Chicago, he went to work in the produce industry and co-owned a grocery store with three brothers-in-law. Her family kept many of their business ventures quiet because they did not want to pay the Mafia. A year before her father died, he made a deposit on a grocery store and hoped that his sons and Aliotto would operate the store; however, this business plan was never fulfilled. When Aliotto's mother immigrated to the US in 1902, she came with a five-year-old son and a two-year-old son. Aliotto was the first in her family to be born in the US. (13:38-19:57)... Aliotto's mother's voyage to the US was "stormy." Her parents settled in an ethnically mixed neighborhood - of Italians, Jews and Irish families - on the north side of Chicago. Aliotto attended the Italian churches in the neighborhood and remembers celebrating traditional religious holidays during the summer months. (19:57-23:59)... Aliotto recalls that Italians from southern Italy lived on the north side of Chicago while northern Italians lived in another part of the city. The two groups had very little contact with each other. Within her neighborhood, the various ethnic groups had amicable relationships. Most of the grocery markets in the neighborhood were owned by Italians, while Jews owned the dry goods stores. Aliotto describes the shopping districts near her neighborhood and discusses the recreational activities she enjoyed while living in the neighborhood. (23:59-25:45)... When Aliotto was not outside playing with friends, she was inside helping her mother. As the oldest girl of eight children, she was responsible for many household duties. The children did their chores before going to school. Once a week, they cleaned the house together. One of her brothers scrubbed the steps on the front porch until neighborhood boys began calling him a "sissy." (25:45-28:15)... Aliotto's father was a generous man who often shared food with his neighbors. She digresses regarding the birth of one of her younger brothers, indicating that her elders were not forthright about conception and childbirth. End of tape. File: lhgwmaliotto6.mp3 (0:00-2:15)... When the ACWA local building was constructed and a gymnasium built at the location, Aliotto spent most of her time there. Every day after work, she went to the local and worked in the gym, attended Local meetings, and practiced with the choir. Initially, she was disappointed that a pool was not included in the construction of the gymnasium. She recounts her employment history, noting that in her fifty-year career she only worked for three shops: Progress Tailoring Company, C.B. Shane & Company, Hart, Schaffner & Marx. (2:15-4:45)... Aliotto distanced herself from her friends in the neighborhood once she became active with the union. She abandoned her post as treasurer of the All Indians Athletic and Social Club and became more involved in Local 275. She was the vice president of the Local until Clara Leon selected her to be the treasurer. Aliotto's social relationships revolved mainly around women from Local 275 and people involved with the ACWA. Eventually, Aliotto and her family moved out of the neighborhood and lost contact with their neighbors and friends. (4:45-10:14)... Alioto talks about her family moving out of the neighborhood where she was born and raised and describes the various areas in which she lived until finally settling down in a home with her sister and mother in 1940. (10:14-12:08)... Aliotto talks about her sister's career at C.B. Shane. Initially, Aliotto's brother-in-law did not want his wife to work because he felt that people would think that he was unable to support his family. However, Aliotto's sister went to work at C.B. Shane and earned enough money to help her husband pay off their home mortgage. Shortly thereafter, her husband asked her to quit working and she stayed home and gave birth to another child. (12:08-18:24)... There was more opportunity for upward mobility and better pay as an operator than as a handworker. Whenever wage increases occurred, operators typically received more pay than handwork's. The union also made sure that people who were active in the union received better paying positions. Aliotto describes her experiences while working as a chairlady at C.B. Shane & Company. She was asked to fill that position by Clara Leon, who was the Business Agent at the shop. When the company went out of business, Aliotto wanted to retire as chairlady, but the union convinced her she should continue her chairlady duties at Hart, Schaffner & Marx. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Marie Aliotto, an activist in the Chicago Women's Local (275) of the ACWA started working in the garment industry when she was only fifteen years old. She joined the union during the major organizing drive in 1919 and eventually switched to the Women's Local in the late 1920s, and almost immediately assumed a series of leadership posts. Born and raised in a multiethnic neighborhood, Aliotto became the sole source of her family after her father's death. Until her health began to suffer, for almost eight years she worked a second job at a movie house. She never married and continued to support and care for her mother. The union and the Women's Local became the focus of her life, particularly after the ACWA built a new hall which included a gymnasium. She remained active even after retirement in 1965. Aliotto's oral history was conducted in Chicago by Kris Feichtinger, in cooperation with the Feminist History Research Project of Los Angeles. It was part of a larger series of interviews with women active in the Chicago Women's Local (275). INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of three interviews conducted with Marie Aliotto as part of a series on the Chicago Women's Local (275). The interview was conducted by Kris Feichtinger, in cooperation with the Feminist History Research Project in Los Angeles. The details of the recording session are unknown. TOPICS - career expectations; early work experiences in the garment industry; unionism; family life; attitudes towards marriage and romantic relationships; social life; social activities; work schedule; and upward mobility;family background; family life; childhood; ethnic neighborhoods; religious traditions and cultural customs; household responsibilities; parents; siblings; and childbirth;family life; family history; living arrangements; siblings; union activities; Local 275; chairlady responsibilities; working conditions; and wages;
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