Other
Rozner, Sarah (audio interview #15 of 20)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the fourth interview with Sarah Rozner conducted in her home. She seemed tired on this occasion and interrupted the interview twice to take a break. Despite some initial reluctance, she introduced personal matters into the interview in an attempt to break the monotony of discussions about her union activities. She asked for a break during a discussion of her social life and personal friendships, during which time she talked about her earlier desire to have a eugenics baby earlier in her life; however, this conversation was not recorded on tape in this interview. It is clear from the interview that it is important to allow Rozner to continue her train of thought, which accounts for the numerous digressions throughout this and previous interviews. There seems to be chain of associations that enable her to remember certain aspects of her life. TOPICS - personal life; attitudes towards the Russian Revolution; responsibilities as chairlady and Business Agent; and sexual harassment;role on the Joint Board and the Executive Board of her local; the status of women within the union; social life and personal friendships; conflicts with the union; factional fighting in the union; 5/11/1973
- Date
- 2020-04-06
- Resource Type
- Creator
- Campus
- Keywords
- Handle
- Language
- Notes
- 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 the fourth interview with Sarah Rozner conducted in her home. She seemed tired on this occasion and interrupted the interview twice to take a break. Despite some initial reluctance, she introduced personal matters into the interview in an attempt to break the monotony of discussions about her union activities. She asked for a break during a discussion of her social life and personal friendships, during which time she talked about her earlier desire to have a eugenics baby earlier in her life; however, this conversation was not recorded on tape in this interview. It is clear from the interview that it is important to allow Rozner to continue her train of thought, which accounts for the numerous digressions throughout this and previous interviews. There seems to be chain of associations that enable her to remember certain aspects of her life. TOPICS - personal life; attitudes towards the Russian Revolution; responsibilities as chairlady and Business Agent; and sexual harassment;role on the Joint Board and the Executive Board of her local; the status of women within the union; social life and personal friendships; conflicts with the union; factional fighting in the union;
- File: lhgwsrozner7.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:15)... Tape introduction. (2:15-5:58)... The beginning of this segment introduces the topics to be discussed in the interview; however, Rozner does not address these topics immediately and digresses into a discussion on her state of mind following the 1915 strike. Following this strike, she went back to Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, which was a large factory divided into several different departments. At this time, she was working in Department J and was a member of the Executive Board of Local 39. This period in her life was "transitional," and she was dealing with personal, emotional, and intellectual struggles. (5:58-8:05)... While working at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, Rozner confronted the floorwoman for mistreating a co-worker. Rozner was not afraid to defend herself or other workers when they were being abused by employers. She describes herself as a tyrant, who did not consider the consequences of her actions when she became passionate or angry about something. When it came to labor injustices, she was not concerned about herself, but with helping her fellow laborers. (8:05-12:19)... During the Russian Revolution, she made a scene in the shop because the boxes of needles were wrapped in red paper. The manager of the shop fired her, but then reneged on his decision when she threatened to walk out of the shop with the other workers. She recalls that the workers often sang the revolutionary ballad in English while working in the shop. At the end of 1918, she was elected as the chairlady [sic] of Hart, Schaffner, and Marx. At this time, union officials instructed representatives to coordinate a general strike in protest of the Thomas Mooney trial. Although the union ultimately decided not to call a general strike, Rozner pulled workers out of the shop anyway. (12:19-18:45)... She describes her responsibilities as a chairlady for Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, which included carrying out the union agreement within the shop, addressing workers' complaints, and coordinating with the Labor Manager during work-related disputes. She also collected dues, arranged shop meetings, attended Local meetings, and picketed during strikes. When employers and labor examiners complained about poor work products, Rozner usually defended the worker, which often did not work to her advantage when reasoning with these men. As a chairlady, she lost approximately 10 percent of her earnings because she was unable to devote all of her time to producing garments. (18:45-25:26)... As a union representative, she considers herself an ethical person who followed the rules and regulations constructed by the union and manufacturers. However, she also describes herself as an unruly union representative. For instance, when she investigated an incident of a worker who was suspended after "slipping," she found out that this worker exposed himself to a female coworker. Even though she believed he was wrong, she could not justify terminating him when he had a large family to feed. Although she was advised to drop this investigation, she pursued it and was ultimately successful in saving this man's job. (25:26-30:30)... As a Business Agent, she was not treated or respected by union leaders or employers. She decided to leave this position and return to work at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx. She digresses into a discussion on defending a woman who was being harassed because of her philosophical and political beliefs. [Note: there is some background noise in this segment.] (30:30-31:24)... There is a brief discussion of her activities during the 1922 labor convention in Chicago, at which Sidney Hillman spoke. At this time, she was a Business Agent and was handling the incident with the worker who exposed himself. She reiterates that she thought it was more important to put this worker back to work than to punish him. (31:24-35:15)... As chairwoman of the shop, workers approached her with their complaints. She dealt with the Labor Examiner when the complaint with the worker could not be solved. However, the union was not very strong at this time and many workers were afraid to expose their problems for fear they would be terminated. She digresses and talks about workers providing her with gifts to show their appreciation. On one occasion, the workers at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx organized a collection and purchased a watch for her. When she found out that a woman at the shop donated $5, she attempted to pay her back. When this woman refused to take the money, Rozner talked to the shop committee and made arrangements for this woman to receive the money in the form of food or materials. (35:15-38:11)... As a chairwoman, when she was unable to find a solution to a worker's complaint, she coordinated with the foreman or the manager of the shop, or she called the Business Agent to conduct an investigation. If the BA agent was unable to reach an agreement, the case was taken to the Labor Board to be reviewed by the impartial chair. Local representatives held monthly meetings for all of the chairpersons in the shops, where they discussed working conditions and conduct. Before the shops were organized, she picketed in the morning and then went to work in the afternoon. She also organized and scheduled workers to march on the picket lines. (38:11-42:13)... Her position on the Joint Board was completely different from her responsibilities as a chairwoman. The Local elected delegates to the Joint Board, while the workers elected a chairperson. When she did not agree with the Business Agent, she went to the Manager of the union. However, she used her own judgment regarding complaints and occasionally made unethical decisions. For instance, she discusses an incident when a male worker complained that a female worker did not finish a coat on a rush basis, as requested. Rozner suspended this man because he referred to the female worker as a "nigger," not because his complaint was unfounded. She explains that as a chairwoman she technically did not have the power to suspend workers and the foreman had the right to challenged this decision. There was also a Grievance Board where workers addressed their complaints. If they were unsatisfied with these solutions they could go to the Joint Board and then to the labor convention for solutions. (42:13-44:46)... When a Business Agent did not follow through investigating one of Rozner's cases, she orchestrated work stoppages with the cooperation of trustworthy workers in the shop. This way, neither the BA nor the manufacturer could identify who instigated the action. end of tape File: lhgwsrozner8.mp3 (0:00-3:46)... In Local 39, she held every official position, serving on the Joint Board and the Executive Board. There were no responsibilities as a member of the Executive Board, other than attending meetings and discussing Local prerogatives. There was only one other woman on the Executive Board of Local 39. She was not very active and did not want to join the Women's Local (275) when it was formed. She worked as a chairlady [sic] while a member of the Joint Board. The two positions did not conflict politically or personally. As a member of the Joint Board her responsibilities were also very limited and included reporting the events occurring within the Local, such as social activities, picketing events, and any grievances. (3:46-6:14)... Rozner repeats an incident discussed in an earlier interview of pounding her chair on the floor at Local meeting because the chairperson would not give her an opportunity to speak. She was attempting to address equality for women within the union and equal pay for equal work, which she believes are two issues currently up for debate in the labor movement. She digresses into a discussion of the other woman who was on the Executive Board of Local 39. When Rozner formed the Women's Local (275), this woman refused to join because she was having a relationship with a union official. Rozner recalls confronting this man about his transgressions. She reiterates that she refused to be a play toy for these men. (6:14-10:47)... When other women from the union came to Chicago, they complained about their status in the union and Rozner told them to take action instead of standing by while the opposition ruined their lives. She notes that very little has changed within the labor movement over time. Although she believes she made a contribution to the movement, there is still work to be done before any substantial progress is made. (10:47-14:30)... Tape interruption. Rozner discusses some arrangements her brother-in-law made for her to manage an apartment complex, earning $400 a month. She rejected this offer and, instead, she and her sister decided to purchase a house together. When her sister's daughter did not like the neighborhood, they decided to purchase a home in Laurel Canyon. This was difficult for Rozner because she considers herself a proletariat from birth. She disliked living in this home and describes it like living in a concentration camp. She eventually sold that house and purchased the one where was living at the time of the interview. (14:30-20:25)... During Executive Board meetings of Local 39, the male representatives treated her fairly well, mainly because she was "impossible." She did not socialize with these people individually and often turned men down when they drove her home and invited themselves up for tea. However, she did socialize in group activities and often played cards and drank with these men. At this time, she lived life and took advantage of social activities. She describes an event when she was a Business Agent, in which the men attempted to get her drunk. Following this event, one of the men took her home and wanted to "play" with her, but she rejected him. Most men viewed women as potential playthings. (20:25-29:15)... In general, her main social interest was the opera and she held season tickets. She did not date men, but played cards with them. However, even though she started out late in life, she did not want to die a virgin. She briefly discusses her wish to get married, but does not provide any detailed information about her attitudes towards marriage. Most of her friends were not from the union, except for her very close friend, Hilda, who later became a union organizer in Philadelphia. The two became lifelong friends until Hilda died a few months prior to the interview. She had another close friend who was not from the union. Tape interruption; break for tea. (29:15-31:43)... In general, she did not believe that union officials should hold office for too long. When she was a Business Agent, she and three men (Schneid, Spivack, and Weinstein) initiated a "revolution" to unseat board members of Local 39. This revolution was successful and the union later elected her and the three men into leadership positions in the union. Rozner turned this opportunity down, and although she suffered over this decision, she did not regret it; she did not want to perpetuate herself in a paid position. (31:43-44:39)... She describes Frank Rosenblum as the crown prince of the union. In 1923, there was an internal struggle for power between Rosenblum and Sam Levine. Although she liked Levine as a person, she respected Rosenblum because of his intellect and ability to organize and unite workers. In the battle that ensued, a split occurred within the communist faction. Sidney Hillman attempted to persuade the communists to align themselves with Levine on the promise that he would endorse William Z. Foster, the communist candidate in the presidential election. Rozner attempted to convince the communists to align themselves with her and Rosenblum. She recalls being harassed because of her activities at this time; however, this did not stop her from doing risky things, such as wearing a sign that said "Do not vote for Sam Levine." This was a quest for power between Levine and Rosenblum. When the conflict was over, everyone became friends once again and the tension subsided. (44:39-46:06)... She describes her attitudes towards power and greed, indicating that as a human being she has compassion and does not understand what motivates people to pursue a life in which power and greed are their main objectives. End of tape
- Rights Note
- This repository item may be used for classroom presentations, unpublished papers, and other educational, research, or scholarly use. Other uses, especially publication in any form, such as in dissertations, theses, articles, or web pages are not permitted without the express written permission of the individual collection's copyright holder(s). Please contact the CSULB Library Administration should you require permission to publish or distribute any content from this collection or if you need additional information or assistance in using these materials: http://www.csulb.edu/library/Common/SubmittedForms/digital_rep_request.html
Relationships
- In Collection:
Items
| Thumbnail | File information | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
4212041725061080-lhgwsrozner7.mp3 Public
|
Download |
|
|
5786450069538449-lhgwsrozner8.mp3 Public
|
Download |
|
|
4944989856074030-gwsrozner1.jpg Public
|
Download |