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Myerson, Ida (audio interview #1 of 1)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - No details are available concerning the circumstances of the single one hour interview done with Myerson. TOPICS - family background and history; early life in Russia; immigration to US; housing and living arrangements in Philadelphia; family relationships; education; work history; organizing for Waterproof Garment Workers Union; working conditions and wages in shirtwaist factories; general strikes; fundraising for the shirtwaists Locals; child labor; election as secretary of Shirtwaist Locals; role as assistant to secretary-treasurer of ILGWU; Pauline Newman; Rose Schneiderman; WTUL; ILGWU unemployment insurance fund; and arrests; Note: the audio quality towards the end of this interview is fair;conviction of union officials in alleged murder of manufacturer; downsizing of ILGWU; internal politics, ILGWU; position with Joint Action Committee; development of unemployment insurance fund; work with the Waterproof Garment Workers Union and strike negotiations; Note: the audio quality of this interview is fair; 1974
- Date
- 2020-03-27
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- Notes
- SUBJECT BIO - Ida Myerson became a union organizer after she first worked as a bookkeeper in a clothing factory. She was a very effective public speaker and fund-raiser and was assigned by the ILGWU and other unions to assist in various strikes. Despite her privileged background, Myerson was introduced to radicalism through her intellectual family. Once she left her white collar position, she remained a staunch organizer. Little is revealed in this interview about her personal life after she married when she and her husband, who was also a union organizer, moved to New York. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - No details are available concerning the circumstances of the single one hour interview done with Myerson. TOPICS - family background and history; early life in Russia; immigration to US; housing and living arrangements in Philadelphia; family relationships; education; work history; organizing for Waterproof Garment Workers Union; working conditions and wages in shirtwaist factories; general strikes; fundraising for the shirtwaists Locals; child labor; election as secretary of Shirtwaist Locals; role as assistant to secretary-treasurer of ILGWU; Pauline Newman; Rose Schneiderman; WTUL; ILGWU unemployment insurance fund; and arrests; Note: the audio quality towards the end of this interview is fair;conviction of union officials in alleged murder of manufacturer; downsizing of ILGWU; internal politics, ILGWU; position with Joint Action Committee; development of unemployment insurance fund; work with the Waterproof Garment Workers Union and strike negotiations; Note: the audio quality of this interview is fair;
- File: lhgwimyerson1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-1:28)... Myerson was born on January 1, 1888 in a small, Russian town known near St. Petersburg. Her family was considered the "first privileged class of the Jewish people" in town because her grandfather was responsible for constructing all of the bridges and large buildings in the province. His home withstood the Russian Revolution because her uncle was a rabbi and he and his children were active in the movement. The home was destroyed, however, when the Germans invaded Russia during WWII. (1:28-6:05)... In Russia, Myerson's father supported his family as a "lumbercaden." They lived in a palatial home that was once owned by a former duke. She recalls accompanying their maid to milk cows and drinking the first drippings of cow's milk. As a result, Myerson contracted tuberculosis and her mother never expected her to live beyond the age of six. The family immigrated to the US in August 1893. Her father left all of his belongings in Russia "in order to save him from going into the army." When they arrived in Philadelphia, they moved into a three-story, three-room home located in a court off the main street. It was especially difficult for her father to adjust to their new surroundings. Her mother, however, "saved the family... and did the best she could." After Myerson's father met the shamas of the synagogue (similar to a deacon), he father never went to synagogue again and prayed in his bedroom instead. Years later, her mother convinced him to go to synagogue on the high holidays. Myerson describes her father as an intellectual snob who refused to allow any tradesmen into his home, but opened his door to anyone with something important to say about the world regardless of their socioeconomic status. (6:05-8:06)... Myerson mentions two men who studied with her brothers in Russia. These men later immigrated to the US and became well-known editors of the Jewish Daily Forward in New York. Her grandfather was instrumental in hiding one of these men from the Russian authorities and helping him escape Russia and immigrate to the US. (8:06-9:30)... It was below her father to work for anyone, so he opened a small grocery store in Philadelphia in order to support his family. They probably would have starved if it were not for her mother's efforts in the store because he did not think anyone was good enough to sell to. She elaborates on her father's personality, stating that he was well-read and well-versed in the Talmud. People enjoyed having discussions with him about religion because he was apt in applying biblical lessons to everyday life. However, it took him a long time to accept people in America and get accustomed to the country. (9:30-10:31)... After she graduated from high school, she took accounting courses and began working first as a bookkeeper and then an accountant for various clothing manufacturers in Philadelphia. When she left the garment industry, she went to work for the union until she married. She returned to the work force after she married. She worked for the Waterproof Garment Workers Union in New York during WWI. She recalls placing men into factories where gas masks and other war materials were produced so that they could avoid conscription during the war. (10:31-14:42)... Myerson provides a chronology of her accounting jobs in the garment industry. She was employed as the accountant at a shirtwaist factory which was owned by the president of the Manufacturer's Association, when the shirtwaist workers in Philadelphia and New York called a general strike. (14:42-20:40)... During a strike at the shirtwaist factory where Myerson was employed, she was disturbed by the fact that women were picketing outside in the cold, winter weather while her employer was hiring scabs at higher wages. While taking notes at a Manufacturer's Association meeting, a manufacturer suggested that they fund the police to round up picketers and throw acid in their eyes. Six months into the strike she told her employer she thought the strike was lost and he said, "If they don't succeed in increasing the wage, it instills the stability of the present wage. There's no such thing as a lost strike." This was her first lesson in trade unionism. That evening she went to the labor union and volunteered her time to the movement. She was asked to speak to other labor unions in an attempt raise strike funds. When she spoke in front of the Central Labor Union, she was featured in a newspaper article. She was fired from the shirtwaist factory at the end of the week. At that time, the Central Labor Council asked her to travel to Washington and speak to other unions about the general strike. (20:40-23:51)... Myerson was accompanied to Washington by another woman who was active in the union; and they rented a room for $3/week. She mainly spoke to the "aristocratic locals" in Washington. After being well-received by these Locals and gaining publicity for her efforts, she visited the White House in hopes of speaking to the president. Although she was unable to meet the president, an aide told her "President Taft feels he can't say anything or he would be showing partiality between capital and labor." During her ten-day stay in Washington, she was interviewed by reporters on a daily basis. When asked what her name was at that time, she explains that she gave the first name "Ida" to immigration officials when she first entered the country even though that was not her real name. (23:51-25:26)... When Myerson began speaking on behalf of the union she was twenty-two years old and she believes that her naivete played in her favor because people accepted her enthusiastically. Although her parents did not disapprove of her union activities, when she was arrested during an automobile workers strike in Philadelphia, her father remarked, "Well, that would teach her a lesson." She raised $1000 during her speaking tour in Washington. During this period, she also spoke with a representative from the Department of Commerce and was successful in convincing him that the garment industry affected interstate trade. (25:26-26:53)... Myerson describes the working conditions in shirtwaist factories, noting that generally they were better in large factories than small ones. Many of the garment manufacturers were viewed as benevolent because they made generous contributions to groups like the Hebrew Orphans Asylum. However, manufacturers who contributed to this organization were only interested in obtaining a cheap labor force. Orphans were typically paid .50 cents a week for six months with the possibility of a .25 cent to $1 increase. (26:53-28:37)... Myerson talks about how she dressed and shows the interviewer a photograph. Her generation customarily wore a hat, and when they were at formal events, they typically decorated their hats with ornate objects and left their hats on. (28:37-35:57)... When Myerson returned from her speaking tour in Washington, the union asked her to go on another fundraising campaign in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She found that the poor coal miners who she met were more generous than the aristocratic Locals in Washington. Whenever she visited a coal miner's home, she noticed that they had a photograph of John Mitchell posted on the wall. She ended her tour of Scranton when the president of the Central Labor Council asked her to come back because the treasury was depleted in Philadelphia and he needed her assistance raising funds there. (35:57-38:48)... After the general strike was settled, the shirtwaist locals elected her as their secretary and they changed their constitution to allow for an elected appointment of an individual who was not employed in the garment industry. She worked in this position for approximately five months, during which time she met her future husband. When she was hired as the assistant to the secretary-treasurer of the international union, her husband left his organizing position in Philadelphia and accompanied her to New York. Myerson handed her secretarial position over to Pauline Newman, a shirtwaist worker who was active in the WTUL. Myerson was paid $22/week as assistant to the secretary-treasurer, which was $4 more than he earned until his wages were increased during the next national convention. Her responsibilities included organizing campaigns in New Jersey and Connecticut. She talks about Newman, Rose Schneiderman and the Dwyer sisters, all of whom were active in the WTUL. (38:48-42:55)... Myerson recalls bitter struggles between the picketers and the police during the strike. She publicized the stories about manufacturers compensating police to harass the picketers during her speaking campaigns. She believes that the membership in the shirtwaist locals increased from about 1,000 to 10,000 after the strike. The cigar makers and the shirtwaist and garment workers represented a more sophisticated and intellectual class of workers because their working conditions were better than conditions in other types of factories. The men in these industries aspired to positions as foreman, contractors or manufacturers. The women, however, "remained workers or floor ladies or married and that was it." The average pay in the garment industry was a piecework rate of approximately $4/week with opportunities to make as much as $8 or more during busy seasons. While working as an accountant for garment manufacturers, she noted that factory owners kept two sets of books, one representing real wages and another representing higher wages that were presented to labor inspectors. She recalls the time a manufacturer's books were stolen by a statistician. (42:55-44:10)... There were no microphones available when Myerson spoke in public. She had a good speaking voice and often practiced her speeches. Although she was quite shy in high school, when she graduated she began participating in debate teams. She mainly socialized with her brother's friends, most of whom were artists and writers. She was a successful speaker because she was honest and her stories appealed to people. (44:10-45:33)... Note: there is background noise in this segment when the telephone rings. Myerson could not recall if she was in New York at the time the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. The doors were locked in many of the garment factories where she was employed in an attempt to minimize burglaries in the shop. (45:33-48:41)... Myerson discusses the general strike in the garment industry in 1910, during which she met Louis Brandeis. Even though the union attempted to negotiate a resolution with manufacturers, the garment workers did not accept the proposed contract. However, they had no idea that the union had only $300 in the treasury to finance the strike. Negotiations were re-opened and an amicable solution was eventually reached. During the time she worked as assistant to the secretary-treasurer of the international union, an unemployment insurance fund was established. She authorized the first unemployment check issued in the country. Management of the unemployment fund faltered during the internal struggles between the left and right-wing factions in the union. (48:41-49:54)... Myerson comments that the "greatest ambition of a girl was to save enough money to buy a big ostrich feather for her hat." After a strike, manufacturers usually commented on how well their workers dressed. However, most of these women made their own clothing and did not dress poorly. They were generally young, immigrant women who were single and still living at home. The girls looked forward to "marrying and getting away from it all" while the men aspired to be foremen or manufacturers themselves. (49:54-52:49)... In 1910, Myerson was arrested during a strike involving automobile workers in Philadelphia. She was not bailed out of jail because the city was under martial law. Her supporters flooded the jail with flowers and candies. The police thought she was a society woman and provided her with fresh blankets and coffee. When they found out about her previous activities with the shirtwaist workers they told her she deserved to be in jail. She was suspended for thirty days because of her arrest, indicating that she tried to conceal this incident when she applied for jobs in the future. (52:49-57:15)... The WTUL women supported the labor movement by organizing lectures and contributing funds and food during strikes. She talks about her memories of the Dwyer sisters, Rose Schneiderman, and Pauline Newman. (57:15-58:04)... Myerson's sympathies towards the labor movement developed at an early age. When she was seven years old, she overheard a conversation between her mother and a neighbor regarding a strike among stocking workers in which her mother expressed support for the workers. Myerson also was influenced by the intellectual and political conversations that took place in her parents' home. In particular, members of the SP frequently visited her father to discuss their ideals. (58:04-58:46)... Myerson's husband handed his position in the union over to Rose Schneiderman when he left Philadelphia. Although Myerson previously stated that Pauline Newman filled in for her when she moved to New York, in this segment she says that she gave her position to another woman who just so happened to be related to a woman who taught Myerson's son in private school. (58:46-59:44)... Myerson notes that she was a "busy kid." When she was twelve years old, she tutored a thirty-eight-year-old man for a civil service examination which he passed. While she was in high school she also taught immigrants four nights a week at a school organized by youths in the community. (59:44-1:00:45)... Myerson was employed as the secretary in Local 10 for approximately six months and she worked as the assistant to the secretary-treasurer of the international for a year and a half. After she married, she stopped working for the union for about four years. When she reapplied for a position with the international, it was in disarray because seven officials were jailed after being accused of murdering a manufacturer. End of tape. File: lhgwimyerson2.mp3 (0:03-2:48)... Myerson talks about the arrests of union officials for allegedly murdering a manufacturer. In order to fight the conviction, the union terminated approximately two-thirds of its staff. She reapplied for a position in the international during this period and was told that money was tight but that they would find something for her. However, cliques in the union attempted to defeat her in Local elections. Although they were unsuccessful, when they appealed to the international, she left the union in disgust, fed up with these power struggles. A year later, that clique was ousted from the union for embezzling money. After she left the International, she went to work for the Joint Distribution Committee. (2:48-4:43)... When Myerson returned to the International, she was involved in the formation of the unemployment insurance fund. She discusses her affiliation with Morris Sigman, the union president. It was during this period that she decided to leave the union and on his recommendation, found work with the Joint Distribution Committee. She worked for the chairman of the unemployment insurance fund in this organization for three and a half years. (4:43-5:48)... During WWI, she worked with the Waterproof Garment Workers Union. She reiterates her efforts to transfer men to factories where war goods were produced so that they could avoid conscription. (5:48-7:52)... Myerson discusses her association with a labor activist she met during her speaking tour in Washington, DC. She frequently repeated a story he told her while she was speaking in public. (7:52-9:15)... During a waterproof workers strike, a classmate of Woodrow Wilson and a former congressman, was appointed by Wilson to the Conciliation Board. Myerson recalls him visiting her at the Local and telling her about his political career. He supported Myerson and attempted to persuade the cliques who opposed her to accept her position in the union. (9:15-11:28)... Obtaining a position at the Joint Distribution Committee was a turning point in her career. She was hired as the assistant personnel manager in the development of the unemployed insurance fund. End of tape.
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