Other
Wexler, Mollie (audio interview #4 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This fourth interview with Mollie Wexler, conducted in her home, was designed to fill in gaps from previous interviews. The interview begins with Wexler describing several photographs. These seemed to help prod her memory and help uncover information that previously had not been revealed. TOPICS - discussion of 1922 strike (triggered by several photographs Wexler introduces); creation of Local 100 in Chicago; work experiences and wages in Los Angeles; the impact of McCarthyism in Los Angeles; the denial of her pension from the ILGWU; women and the union; 1/22/1973
- Date
- 2020-04-01
- Resource Type
- Creator
- Campus
- Keywords
- Handle
- Language
- Notes
- File: lhgwmwexler6.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:15)... Tape introduction. (2:15-8:12)... The interview begins abruptly with a discussion of the photographs introduced by Wexler. Wexler describes one of these photographs as a class of workers taken some time in 1917 in Chicago. She explains that two people came into the shop where she was working at the time and asked to speak to the workers about education during their lunch break. At that time, the workers were given a name and address to attend a meeting. When she and three of her co-workers arrived, the meeting was about organizing a local for the dressmakers in Chicago and training workers for organization positions in the shop or the union. She went to these classes for approximately a year. After these classes, she became the first chairlady [sic] in her shop. She recalls that the classes lasted until approximately 1919. (8:12-12:27)... Another photograph she discusses shows her during the 1922 strike in Chicago involving the dressmakers. Local 100 was formed after the strike was settled. The women active in the local became Chairwomen of their shops and worked on the Price Committees and other committees that settled problems with workers and the employer. Wexler also worked on the Election Objection Committee for the local. (12:27-13:12)... She discusses the photograph taken in Griffith Park after she came to Los Angeles. This photograph was taken in the early 1940s and depicts the members of the Local getting acquainted with one another. This picnic was usually held every Sunday. (13:12-18:59)... When she arrived in Los Angeles, she went to work for Patricia Perkins, a union shop. After the owner's husband died, the cutters in the shop began running things and she left because she did not like their policies. In 1940-41, she went to work for Adrians, where she worked until 1953, earning $5,000 a year. She served on the Price Committee at this shop. (18:59-21:56)... In the 1950s, she began experiencing problems because of McCarthyism. She recalls that the foreman in a shop was typically not a worker but employed by the manufacturer. The McCarthyites instructed foremen to fire all workers who demanded too much or were left in their political beliefs. This policy did not just target communists, but workers who advocated workers rights. She believes that the union officials stood behind this policy and often told the foremen of the shops who to look out for. It is during this time that union officials denied her election to the Executive Board of her local, for what she believed were her progressive political beliefs. (21:56-24:20)... After she left Adrians in 1953, she was blacklisted from working in union shops. Whenever she applied at a shop, she believes that the employer contacted the union office and they told the manufacturer not to hire her. (24:20-29:23)... After she was blacklisted by the union, she looked for work at retail stores in Beverly Hills. She went to work at a store there, but continued to pay her union dues until 1957. During the period between 1953-57, she did not work in a union shop. During these years, the union discontinued her pension even though she was paying her dues. When she retired, the union told her she was not qualified for a pension because she did not work in union shops during the period of time the union blacklisted her. Despite numerous efforts to apply for her pension, she was denied. (29:23-34:07)... In 1960, after working at retail stores in Beverly Hills, she went to work for Helen Rose. Even though she was denied a pension, when the union wanted to organize Rose's shop, they approached Wexler and asked for her assistance. The union paid her for her efforts and she did this because she believed it would help her chances at getting a pension. Following the strike at Rose's shop, she went to Europe for a vacation and to rebuild herself. When she returned, she took side jobs with retail stores doing alterations and started collecting social security in 1961. (34:07-37:33)... She believes that women in leadership positions are more acceptable now than they were when she was with the union. The union realized that anyone capable of the job should be hired, irrespective of gender. Women also realized that they were capable of these positions and took advantage of these opportunities. Her experiences with the union made her aware that she can function in the face of adversity. She gained the strength and confidence she needed to go through life and to raise a family on her own. (37:33-40:18)... When she left her husband, she was confident she could support her family independently and without his assistance. Her close friends believed she would become stronger in the face of future challenges. Whenever she encountered people who needed confidence, she shared her personal story with them in an attempt to give them strength to carry on. (40:18-43:16)... When she moved to Los Angeles, she rented a small home by the beach and went to work for a costume designer, earning $6a day. In 1935, she went to work for designer, Patricia Perkins. (43:16-46:03)... Reflecting on her life, she occasionally feels dissatisfied with situations that did not work out to her advantage. She enjoyed her work because it was a creative outlet and required a lot of skill. Her activities with the union were also fulfilling; however, she is disillusioned with the union because she was denied a pension. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Mollie Wexler became active in the labor movement when she first moved to Chicago, two years after her emigration to the US. When Local 100 of the ILGWU was formed, she was elected the first "chairlady" of her shop. From the time she moved to Los Angeles in 1934 until 1953, she remained active in the ILGWU and helped to organize the shops in which she worked. During the McCarthy period, she had difficulty finding employment in union shops and was forced to find employment in department stores, instead. Despite this, she remained a member of the union until 1957 and was even called on by them to organize the Helen Ross shop in 1960. After the loss of that strike, she ended her full-time working career and union involvement. The interview with Wexler was conducted as part of the Feminist History Research Project labor series. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This fourth interview with Mollie Wexler, conducted in her home, was designed to fill in gaps from previous interviews. The interview begins with Wexler describing several photographs. These seemed to help prod her memory and help uncover information that previously had not been revealed. TOPICS - discussion of 1922 strike (triggered by several photographs Wexler introduces); creation of Local 100 in Chicago; work experiences and wages in Los Angeles; the impact of McCarthyism in Los Angeles; the denial of her pension from the ILGWU; women and the union;
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
|
4624587178854070-lhgwmwexler6.mp3 Public
|
Download |
|
|
7730811005501358-gwmwexler1.jpg Public
|
Download |
|
|
4243195473063080-gwmwexler2.jpg Public
|
Download |