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[joint interview], Rose Priola Falk and Agnes Budilovsky (audio interview #2 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of two joint interviews with Falk and Budilovsky conducted at the ACWA union hall. After this joint interview, separate interviews were conducted with each woman. TOPICS - motivations for organizing Local 275; gender and job discrimination; ready-made compared to custom shops; job responsibilities; and programs and activities organized by Local 275;ACWA union hall facilities and political activism; Fall 1974
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- 2020-03-27
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- File: lhgwfalkandbud3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-4:20)... Falk notes that the most reason for organizing Local 275 was because "women wanted to be counted first like the men.... The men were getting all of the preference." In addition to agitating for equal compensation, women wanted to hold offices in the ACWA. When Sarah Rozner was hired as the Business Agent for Local 275, women began occupying union positions on various committees. There were no women on the twenty-six member National Executive Board, until Mamie Santora and Bessie Hillman joined the board. May Hill was the president of Local 275 and a member of the ACWA Finance Committee. When she stepped down, Falk took her place in both capacities. Although there were no members of Local 275 on the Board of Directors, Falk's position on the Finance Committee carried as much status as someone on the board. (4:20-7:16)... Falk and Budilovsky describe the differences between ready-made shops and shops that catered to special orders. Throughout her career, Budilovsky worked for special order shops while Falk worked for ready-made shops like Hart, Schaffner & Marx. During WWI, however, both types of shops produced uniforms for American soldiers. (7:16-10:27)... Falk began working at Hart, Schaffner & Marx when she was fifteen years old. She went to the shop because other family members worked there. At one point, both her parents and her sister all worked together at the company. Prior to working at Hart, Schaffner & Marx, she wrapped sheets for Montgomery Wards. At that age the only available work for her at HS&M was running errands for operators and checking the work flow between shop floors. She worked in this capacity until she turned sixteen, at which time she moved into an operator position. (10:27-12:40)... Budilovsky began working in a special-order shop at the age of fourteen, mainly because the shop was near her home and her parents' tavern. She preferred working in a small shop because it gave her an opportunity to learn how to make an entire article of clothing whereas workers in large shops were dedicated to working on a specific part of the garment. This also meant that if there was no work on a certain piece of the garment, she could work on another part of the garment. When she began working in the garment industry much of the work was completed by hand, not machines. (12:40-14:04)... In Chicago, some shops produced better quality clothing than others although, generally, Chicago was considered a "quality market;" and consumers typically paid more for clothing produced there rather than in places like Rochester, New York. Shops began moving out of Chicago into a cheaper market in an effort to increase their profits. Manufacturers moved into smaller cities where there was a cheap, unorganized pool of labor. Rates of pay in these areas were roughly half of what workers were paid in Chicago. (14:04-17:20)... Budilovsky liked working in special order shops because she worked on one type of garment at a time whereas people in ready-made shops worked on large bundles. In this environment, workers often became bored and/or tired because the work was heavy and monotonous. Falk explains that the only changes working on bundles involved the type and color of material. In custom-made shops, the clothing line changed quite often, which made the work much less monotonous. When Falk started in operations, she sewed buttons or zippers on garments. Towards the end of her career, she was sewing waistbands into pants. Budilovsky moved into the field of pocket making, which was considered a skilled operation. The union had an employment office and members sought work through it. At that time, people could easily move from shop to shop because the work was available. As the garment industry in Chicago declined, it became much more difficult for people to be picky about the shop in which they worked or to find work at all. (17:20-18:58)... The attraction of the ready-made shop or a custom-made shop was different for Falk and Budilovsky. When Jewish workers stayed home from work during Jewish holidays, Falk filled in for them at custom-made shops. Although she got a good idea of how things operated in custom-made shops, she preferred to work at ready-made shops because she was accustomed to the environment. Both women entered the garment industry because they had family working in the industry. Budilovsky's family "represented the entire clothing industry" because she was a pants maker and her two sisters worked on vests and coats. (18:58-20:34)... Falk reiterates that women organized a Woman's Local, "to be recognized just the way the men were recognized and they wanted a fair share of everything. . .They did not want any more or any less." (20:34-22:35)... Falk and Budilovsky describe the various programs and activities organized by the Women's Local. End of tape. File: lhgwfalkandbud4.mp3 (0:00-3:48)... Prior to constructing the union hall, the ACWA operated three offices in neighborhoods populated by Jewish, Polish and Bohemian families. The construction of the union hall began in 1927 and it was equipped with an auditorium, a gymnasium, and a bowling alley. In addition to hosting plays and dances in the auditorium, the union also held meetings with prominent speakers. [Note: Budilovsky shows the interviewer a photograph of the day they broke ground on the ACWA union hall.] (3:48-8:45)... Budilovsky and Falk describe the political process in the ACWA. Special elections were held to elect members to the Joint Board and the General Executive Board. There were typically problems between the north and west side union offices related to the election of Business Agents because neither region wanted to be represented by someone outside their area. [Note: Falk and Budilovsky provide the names of several Business Agents.] (8:45-10:09)... Budilovsky describes an incident involving a work stoppage and Sam Levine's intervention in the matter. (10:09-12:12)... Budilovsky continues to talk about the election process and the disputes between the Locals on the north and west sides of Chicago. When the union hall was built, these problems ceased because the two regions were unified in one centralized location. At that time, nominations to the Joint Board or the Executive Board depended on the number of people represented in each Local. (12:12-13:43)... Budilovsky talks about her political activism and how she joined the Republican Party and became the president of the Women's Republican Club. Her motivations for becoming politically active included finding work for her disabled husband. (13:43-18:32)... Falk's political activity revolved around the ACWA. She also volunteered for the Political Action group and worked on congressional political campaigns. When the garment industry in Chicago began to decline, her work day decreased to approximately five hours a day. This allowed her to spend the rest of the day working at the congressional office. The ACWA stayed current as to the pro-labor politicians in Washington and encouraged members to vote for those candidates during political elections. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Note: Two interviews were conducted jointly with Falk and Budilovsky, ACWA activists in Chicago. Their narrator biographies can be found in their individual narrator pages. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of two joint interviews with Falk and Budilovsky conducted at the ACWA union hall. After this joint interview, separate interviews were conducted with each woman. TOPICS - motivations for organizing Local 275; gender and job discrimination; ready-made compared to custom shops; job responsibilities; and programs and activities organized by Local 275;ACWA union hall facilities and political activism;
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