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Rozner, Sarah (audio interview #13 of 20)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second interview with Sarah Rozner conducted on in her home. TOPICS - family background; life in Hungary; training in the sewing trade; immigration; work experiences; treatment of women; sexual harassment;work experiences; 1910 and 1915 labor strikes; social consciousness; gender relations; gender discrimination; organizing activities; 4/18/1973
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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 the second interview with Sarah Rozner conducted on in her home. TOPICS - family background; life in Hungary; training in the sewing trade; immigration; work experiences; treatment of women; sexual harassment;work experiences; 1910 and 1915 labor strikes; social consciousness; gender relations; gender discrimination; organizing activities;
- File: lhgwsrozner3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:13)... Tape introduction. (2:13-6:51)... As a young girl in Hungary, she was raised in a proud environment that honored her parents' prestigious background. As a daughter of a rabbi from a aristocratic background, she was expected to either go to school or pursue a skill. At the age of twelve, she quit school because she did not have the proper clothing. She subsequently learned sewing skills at a high-class dressmaker's salon, including how to use a sewing machine and make buttonholes. (6:51-12:39)... Although her parents came from wealthy backgrounds, their families slowly lost their wealth and were very poor. However, both her mother and father could read and write. The family name garnered respect within the Hungarian and Jewish communities. When Rozner delivered garments to patrons, she was too proud to accept the tips they offered her even though she was starving at the time. Over time, this pride subsided and she recalls using her tip money on one occasion to purchase beer, chocolate, and pretzels from a saloon. In Hungary, she learned the fundamentals of operating a foot pedal sewing machine, and after she arrived in the United States she slowly learned how to operate a power machine. When she first began working in the garment industry in Chicago she was expected to purchase her own tools and needles. At this time, her main goal was to save enough money for a dowry so that she could return to Hungary, marry, and have children. (12:39-18:27)... When she was fifteen, Rozner's mother and father immigrated to the United States where two sisters and a brother were already living. Rozner, two of her younger sisters, and her older brother were separated and went to live with relatives: Rozner lived with her mother's side of the family; while her younger sister, who died a short time later, and her older brother went to Budapest. They remained with these relatives until they immigrated to the United States several months after their parents left Hungary. (18:27-26:32)... In addition to being a rabbi, Rozner's father also wrote, taught and bound books. She assisted her father with bookbinding and referred to herself as his right-hand man. Her mother worked as a practical nurse and was also the secretary of the local Ladies Aid Society. Rozner's mother's responsibilities as a practical nurse included assisting childbirth, caring for ill patients, and administering medicine. Rozner describes her mother as more ambitious and outgoing than her father, whom she described as an intellect. Her parents expected her to get married, but she wanted to wait for someone that she could respect and admire. She was not treated like a typical girl in an Orthodox Jewish family. She was encouraged to get an education and to learn a skill. Her father favored her and often commented that he wished his sons were girls. Her mother, on the hand, favored the boys in the family. (26:32-29:28)... Rozner's mother did not receive any formal training as a nurse, but was self-educated. As the secretary of the Ladies Aid Society, she often tutored women within the community, one of whom was the banker's wife. The banker once courted Rozner's grandmother and was very interested in learning about Rozner's mother's life. As a result, Rozner's mother usually came home with enough food to feed the entire family. In contrast, Rozner's father often failed to collect his earnings for teaching and other jobs, and Rozner did this for him. (29:28-33:51)... Rozner emigrated to the United States with her younger sister and older brother in April 1908, approximately five months after her parents. She lived with her parents and stayed with them until she left for Los Angeles in 1938. Rozner gave all of her earnings to her mother. At the time, she was earning more than the average man in her field. When she finished her work day, she went home and did housework because she would not allow her mother to do this kind of work. While living in Hungary, the family hired a housecleaner, even though they were very poor. (33:51-35:53)... At the corset factory, she was required to purchase her own tools and needles. She digresses into a discussion of sexual harassment in the factories. For instance, the foreman or assistant foreman made it very difficult for women to work there if they did not "give themselves up." Rozner experienced this treatment when she went to work for Hart, Schaffner, and Marx in 1909. The foreman there attempted to fondle her breasts, at which time she picked up a pair of scissors and threatened to stab him. The foreman fired her, but she appealed her case to the superintendent of the factory who, in turn, fired the foreman, which was extremely unusual at the time. (35:53-39:59)... While working at the corset factory, she was accused of sewing several corsets incorrectly, for which she was fired. However, she continued to work at the factory. She also cleaned the factory on Sundays so that she could earn enough money to pay her family's rent, which was $8. She was the main source of income in the household. She did not work on Shabbas (the Jewish Sabbath), which was accepted by the manufacturer. She worked at the corset factory for approximately three months and mainly operated a machine. (39:59-41:58)... She worked at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx between 1909-18. She transferred to different departments there, performing several different sewing skills. She ultimately settled on the monotonous task of sewing coat lining into coats because she was the sole support of the family and this position paid very well. (41:58-43:53)... She prefers piecework, which she attributes to her socialist beliefs, i.e. people are generally slow in developing a social consciousness and this means that workers are not accountable for their work if they are paid on a weekly basis. She compares week work to the mentality she had before shops were organized, during which time she often destroyed work. However, once a shop is organized and unionized, workers lose out when they take advantage of the manufacturer by not completing their responsibilities or sabotaging their work. (43:53-45:43)... When she went to work for Hart, Schaffner, and Marx it was not an organized shop and the working conditions were very poor. For instance, women were being severely sexually harassed by their employers and floor managers. On at least one occasion, she physically defended herself against a man, while other women did not. end of tape File: lhgwsrozner4.mp3 (0:00-4:06)... Tape begins abruptly with a discussion of her roles as Business Agent. In general, Business Agents were on the same level as the manufacturers. The other two Business Agents for Hart, Schaffner, and Marx were men. Along with the union leadership, these men made things very difficult for Rozner and physically and verbally threatened her. However, she wanted to become Business Agent to further the opportunities for women within the union. (4:06-10:10)... When the 1910 strike erupted, she was completely uneducated about the union and strikes. Her father was the first person to educate her on these topics and she began to attend union meetings and participate in picketing activities. She also attended several lectures sponsored by the Wobblies and the anarchists, which influenced the development of her social and class consciousness. Although the ACWA is important to her, it is ridden with many imperfections, some of which are associated with the lack of cooperation among workers throughout the world. Because there is no cohesion among workers, she finds it difficult to purchase foreign goods for fear it will disadvantage American laborers. (10:10-13:24)... Initially, she did not want to come to the United States, but once she arrived she wanted to be a good American. She immediately began attending night school to learn English. However, it became increasingly difficult to go to class when she started working at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx because she worked more than ten hours a day. She recalls an incident during night class when the teacher introduced the Haymarket Riot into class discussion. This interchange upset her because the teacher was very negative about the anarchists. Rozner thought it was outrageous that this woman received all of her information from a police officer, and she picked up her books and left the class. (13:24-14:32)... Her class and social consciousness began to develop during the 1910 strike when she attended union meetings and lectures. She also read intellectual books and historical novels that increased her knowledge of social movements. (14:32-15:57)... She is hesitant to mention some of the tactics strikers used during the 1910 strike, simply commenting that workers did what was necessary to bring about changes in the factories. The picketers were treated very poorly during the strike and she recalls following the funeral procession of two workers who were killed during the strike. (15:57-18:25)... In the 1910 strike, women workers were at the forefront, but they were not aware of their power within the union. In fact, when she campaigned for Business Agent, several women expressed their opposition, telling Rozner she belonged in the home. Even though she was elected by the male membership, men were also opposed to women in the union. At least one of the Local's constitutions explicitly stated that a man could be fired if he taught a woman the trade. Although she believes that men and women may have biological differences, they are the same mentally. (18:25-20:28)... Middle class women and the Women's Trade Union League were very helpful during the 1910 strike and sponsored educational meetings for the female labor force. She digresses into a discussion of her position within the union, claiming that the male leadership tried to marry her off so that they could get rid of her. She was very careful not to mix politics and union activities with her private life for fear that she would be wrapped up in a scandal and her reputation tarnished. (20:28-22:32)... After the 1910 strike, she returned to Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, but was fired when she asked for a pass to take Saturday off for Shabbas. The foreman thought that if she could walk on the picket lines, she could work. At this time she was still uninformed about union policies and did not know she could challenge her termination. She eventually found work at a non-union shop, at which time she organized the workers and held meetings in her home. When the strike was called in this shop, she left with the other workers. (22:32-27:06)... When she was terminated from Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, it took her some time to find a new job because she was blacklisted. Each manufacturer had a record of all the workers who picketed during the strike. When a worker applied for a job at a shop, employers checked this record for unionists. She eventually found work at a factory, which she organized and the workers went on strike. She then went to work for the foreman of this shop, who established his own shop. Although she was in love with him, she never pursued a romantic relationship with him. She worked there from 1912-15, at which time another strike erupted. At this time she began attending socialist meetings and contributing to the Socialist Party. (27:06-34:31)... During the 1915 strike, she became chairlady [sic] of the strike hall, preparing food for picketers, distributing strike funds, scheduling picketers to march, and coordinating with employers during union settlements. After the strike, she returned to Coffman's shop, but left when she noticed that non-union workers were being hired. She returned to Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, where she worked until WWI. The union confidentially told her to leave this shop because she refused to purchase liberty bonds in support of the war. She describes the union leadership as "so-called socialists," for their obvious support of the War and pressure to purchase liberty bonds. (34:31-38:00)... She used several techniques to organize workers in non-union shops, and often spoke to workers about the union during their lunch break. She also whistled the "Internationale" and listened for other union sympathizers to respond. After she made contact with the workers, they would join the union secretly. When she was at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, she paid her union dues secretly because it was a preferential shop and if they found out people were in the union they gave them a hard time. (38:00-46:03)... She became the chairlady [sic] at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx in 1919. At this time, the union threatened to call a general strike in support of the Thomas Moony case. However, the union then decided against this, but Rozner organized workers for the strike anyway. She often made decisions independent of union leadership, e.g. she confidentially orchestrated work stoppages and also suggested that union dues be collected once a month, rather than every time workers were paid. She also attempted to convince women to continue to operate heavy machinery because it offered higher wages. In 1923-24, manufacturers offered women $200 to leave these positions so that they could replace them with men. She believes that it was this independent way of thinking and decision making that threatened the male leadership within the union. End of tape
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