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Stangeland, Addie (audio interview #3 of 5)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the third of five interviews with Addie Stangeland conducted in the bedroom of her daughter's home, where she living. The interview was frequently disturbed by movements of the family in the background. Stangeland was comfortable with the interview process, although she had a hearing problem and questions often had to be repeated. She spoke freely, even when the subject was noticeably difficult. 7/21/1980
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- 2021-03-31
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- SUBJECT BIO - Addie Stangeland went to work at Douglas as a spot welder in 1942. Born and raised in southern California, Stangeland completed the eleventh grad in San Bernardino. She began working for clothiers doing alterations until she moved to Oklahoma with her husband in 1928. After ten years there, as a farm wife, she divorced her "ne'er to well" husband and moved to California with her two children. Stangeland was forced to put her two children in an orphanage until she was able to get back on her feet and get more stable, lucrative work. Douglas employment offered her this opportunity. After the war, she worked as a sail maker for four years until she was laid off and sought re-employment at Douglas. She continued to work at Douglas after her second marriage in 1958 until her retirement in 1967, after which she worked for two years as a companion. By then, her husband who was a beach concessionaire, had died. TOPICS - gender relations; men's attitude towards women in the plant; teasing, flirting, and dating among workforce; sexual harassment and job advancement; migrant workers and minorities; safety measure; work environment; igender ratio in her department; attitude towards union; 1952 strike; social life; family life; managing household during war period; food rationing; post-divorce life; anxieties over children being in an orphanage;
- *** File: rrrastangeland9.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:47)... Stangeland discusses men's attitudes towards women during the war years. Initially, they believed that women would be a hindrance and that they would continue to be responsible for the majority of the production work. As the war progressed, however, the men who came into Stangeland's department were trained by women and were never asked do more than what the woman were doing. The main reason men resented women was because they were paid the same. Men were not above teasing or harassing women, especially those who seemed shy and impressionable, and illustrates this with a story about her leadman threatening to terminate a co-worker for smoking. (3:47-8:25)... There was a lot of flirting and dating among the work force at Douglas, and recalls the time her foreman attempted to set her up with another foreman. Married men frequently asked women out on dates whether or not the women were married. Women felt pressure to go out with supervisors in order to keep their jobs. When a woman rejected a supervisor's advances, she usually was transferred out of his department. Occasionally, women who dated supervisors were promoted. However, supervisors were frequently rotated and if these women "didn't hold up to their end, maybe they wouldn't be a favorite of the next foreman, so they really had to produce." Even though Stangeland socialized with her male co-workers at work, she was never interested in dating them. (8:25-14:19)... During the war, people migrated to California to go to work in defense. A large number of these people intended on returning to their home states after the war. In addition to "Okies" and "Arkies," Mexicans and Blacks worked at the plant. Stangeland comments that California did not make any racial distinctions and didn't have Jim Crow laws. There were Blacks on her crew, and even though she had a good relationship with most of them, she comments that they didn't mix with the White workers. Some of the migrant workers from small towns had a difficult time adjusting to the diversity in the plant. (14:19-18:19)... Stangeland didn't think that she was treated any differently by the younger women in the plant because of her age. Occasionally, women in her age range talked about how "ancient" they were compared to the rest of the work force. The younger women talked to her on a regular basis and treated her like a sister. There were men and women in the plant older than her, some in their seventies. She reiterates the wartime slogan, "If they're still warm, bring em' in." The company continued to hire elderly people during the postwar period. (18:19-20:38)... Safety precautions were stringently enforced in the plant and employees were encouraged to submit suggestions on how to improve their work stations. She was compensated when one of her safety suggestions was accepted and implemented. She describes her suggestion and how it improved the working conditions in her department. (20:38-23:54)... Stangeland incurred some minor injuries during the years she was employed at Douglas; these were her fault and not a result of a mechanical malfunction. She describes an injury she received to her leg, after which she was transported, by ambulance, to the plant dispensary where her wound was dressed. She went to the plant dispensary for treatment every day for approximately one month after the accident. Stangeland describes the types of injuries some of her co-workers suffered. (23:54-25:40)... Stangeland took advantage of some of the company services, e.g. she opened a savings account with the company credit union and also borrowed money. Money was automatically deducted from her wages to pay off her loans and to contribute to her savings account. Although there was a company store on the premises, she rarely shopped there. She recalls that prices in the store were based on people's income level. (25:40-27:00)... The company operated a restaurant on the premises. During the war, the restaurant and eating area was located outside underneath a tented structure. Eventually, the company built a cafeteria in the plant. Lunch wagons also were available to employees. (27:00-29:08)... Stangeland describes the recreational and extracurricular activities sponsored by Douglas. During the war, the company organized musical performances during the lunch hours. There was also a training school at the plant where people could take courses like blueprint reading, which was something she took advantage of. After the war, the company organized a travel club. (29:08-29:51)... During the war, there were approximately forty or fifty women on her crew. The interview ends just as she is discussing the ratio of men to women in her department. End of tape. *** File: rrrastangeland10.mp3 (0:00-0:37)... Stangeland continues to discuss the gender ratio in her department during the war years. (0:37-2:23)... Except for sandblasting, Stangeland believes that women were employed in every section of the plant; that was a job that even men disliked. (2:23-10:30)... Stangeland joined the union around 1944. She didn't join earlier because she felt that Douglas treated her fairly and there was no need for union representation. When she returned to the plant in 1950, there was more pressure to "join or else." Even though she paid union dues, she did not attend any meetings, nor did she support the 1952 strike. At one point during the strike, she crossed the picket line to go to work. After the strike, none of her co-workers gave her a hard time for refusing to participate in the strike. Looking back, the strike was useless because employees returned to the plant with less than what they had before the strike. Although she is a member of the retirees' chapter, she rarely attends events organized by the group. (10:30-15:27)... Stangeland comments that she did not have a social life during the war; her work schedule did not allow for one. Any activities outside of work revolved around her family. Most of the her spare time was spent doing things around the house. She did not date during the war period noting that she had been hurt too badly and didn't trust men. When a childhood boyfriend began making romantic gestures towards her, she told him that she had two children to raise and he had better look elsewhere for a partner. (15:27-16:42)... Stangeland's domestic burdens were eased a little by her children who helped with household tasks and managed the yard work. They were very reliable in purchasing groceries and spending her money wisely. Her daughter began working at a grocery store when she was twelve years old. Stangeland did not have to worry about food shortages and rationing during the war because her daughter was able to get things from the grocery store where she worked. (16:42-17:56)... Two of her nephews served overseas during the war and she was concerned about their well-being during the war. (17:56-20:09)... Stangeland talks about her anxieties during the period her children were in an orphanage. Her main concern was getting a steady job and finding a house so that she could reunite with her children. She felt more stable when her children came home because "I was giving them a feeling of security, which every child needs." (20:09-22:36)... After she divorced her husband, the most difficult transition in her life had to do with finances. Even though she did not have any problems making decisions, it was difficult for her to make those decisions due to her financial insecurity. She notes, however, that she was determined to have a home and a better life. The mortgage on her home in Seal Beach was $25 a month. (22:36-27:06)... Stangeland never had to make child care arrangements for her children during the period she worked at Douglas. She talks about her children's friends and their social activities, relating a few stories regarding her son's mechanical interests. (27:06-30:16)... Stangeland discusses her family life and her relationship with her siblings. Although she spent most of her time with her sister because of their proximity to each other, her brothers occasionally came over with their families and spent the day at the beach. End of tape.
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