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Stern (Todes), Charlotte (audio interview #2 of 7)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of seven interviews with Charlotte Todes Stern conducted in her Columbia University apartment by Ros Baxandall for the Feminist History Research Project. Stern was a friend of Baxandall's parents and because she and the interviewer shared a similar world, they established rapport from the start and enjoyed each other's company. Although Stern is generally a spirited and vigorous woman, she was not feeling well at the time of this second interview. The flow of this interview is somewhat confusing since a portion of it was a re-recording of the initial interview. That interview is being played and new material is being added. The difficulties in the interview session were compounded both by Stern's health that day and the multiple interruptions. 4/9/1976
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- SUBJECT BIO - Todes Stern was a radical activist for most her life, beginning with her introduction to YPSL (Young People's Socialist League) during her college years. Much her of activism focused on the labor movement and her membership in the Communist party. The daughter of Jewish immigrant parents, Stern was raised in East Boston. Her mother was obsessed with their her daughter obtaining a good education and Stern spent her high school years at Girl's Latin School before attending Radcliffe College. After Stern graduated from college in 1917, she was employed as a social worker with the Federation of Jewish Charities in Boston, where she worked on housing and welfare issues. In 1923, Stern became a staff member of the Workers Health Bureau (WHB) and when she returned from a two year sojourn in Europe with her husband two years later, she became their Organizing Secretary. She traveled around the US organizing on behalf of the WHB until 1927, when she moved to Seattle with her husband. There, she became the secretary of the International Labor Defense. Her work in the lumber camps during this period resulted in writing Labor and Lumber , published in 1932 under her family name, Charlotte Todes. During the 1930s, when the Sterns moved back to New York, she joined the Community party. In a short autobiographical sketch, Stern notes that her career in the CP was almost entirely devoted to organizing the unorganized. She worked, especially, with the Food Workers Organizing Committee and became the Educational Director when the workers succeeded in establishing a union. In 1945, the president of the union appointed Stern to the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee. Later, called before HUAC, Stern, along with others on the committee, refused to turn over their records. In 1947 she was found guilty of Contempt of Congress and in 1950 served a three month sentence. With the politically repressive climate and fear that permeated the labor movement, Stern decided to retool and began working in the medical field. In 1956, at about the time that her husband died, she was fired from her job as a medical researcher as a result of FBI intervention. Eventually Stern found work as a journalist on a medical newspaper, where she remained until her retirement in 1971. Proud of her political history, Stern was very interested in making her oral history accessible. As a result, arrangements were made for the Tamiment Library at NYU to transcribe her oral history. Her edited transcript is on deposit there. TOPICS - husband's firing, U of Washington and new job; union organizing; AFL; Hotel and Restaurant organizing; union work; Daily Worker writing; and birth control;working for Daily Workers; political work; labor journalism; Weinstock, Louis; Trade Union Unity Council; Rank-and-File Federationist; Greenfield, Margaret; labor education work; AFL; CP, Women's Commission Committee; women's issues; unemployment; and organizing hair dressers;organizing hair dressers; OPEIU; and AFL, anti-communism;
- *** File: refcstern3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-6:36)... After Stern's husband, Bernhard, was fired from the University of Washington, the students organized a massive rally in protest. Although he had decided not to return, the university had to appease the students. Several students came to New York to visit the Sterns. Bernhard enjoyed his new work and was pleased with his job at the Encyclopedia. (6:36-12:25)... Stern was involved in dual unionism, or organizing the unorganized workers within the AFL in New York. She wanted to help those overlooked by the bureaucracy and exclusionary policies of the AFL. The AFL was unconcerned with unskilled workers, women, and Blacks. (12:25-19:05)... Stern was still working for the Labor Defender when she was recruited by the Hotel and Restaurant Organizing Committee as an editor for their new newspaper, The Food Worker. During this time, she became pregnant for the second time. Her first pregnancy in Seattle ended with a stillbirth after a complicated labor involving a Caesarian section operation. (19:05-26:12)... In September 1930, Stern became pregnant for the second time, and gave birth to a daughter, Mira, on June 1, 1931. Stern was one of the few women in the labor movement who became pregnant. In addition to the busy life of activists, the Depression dissuaded many of the women from having children. Nevertheless, neither men nor women in the movement discussed birth control. (26:12-31:16)... While Stern was pregnant, her colleagues in the union tried to convince her to stay away from the picket lines for fear she could be injured. There were many pressures against picketers, including police action, court injunctions, and legislation. Stern gave up all work from for two months after her baby was born and then returned to work for the Daily Worker. End of Tape. *** File: refcstern4.mp3 (0:00-6:44)... In New York, Stern's husband experienced more medical problems, but was excited when Stern had a baby. While he was with the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, she worked as the labor editor for the Daily Worker. With little experience and no support staff, the work load was too much for her to handle and Stern quit after less than a year. (6:44-13:36)... Stern began working without pay with the Trade Union Unity Council within the AFL, assisting union organizing and writing leaflets or speeches. She worked with Louis Weinstock of the AFL to unite the various rank and file committees across the country. Under Weinstock, Stern became the editor of his paper, Rank-and-File Federationist. She replaced Margaret Greenfield, an economic analyst. Stern and Greenfield collaborated on many issues and the two became lifelong friends. (13:36-21:14)... The Trade Union Unity Council (TUUC) was able to organize the individual rank and file activists to help solidify the trade union movement. Those higher up in the AFL's hierarchy, suspecting that their power was being undermined, felt threatened by the Rank and File Committee. Stern began teaching American labor history at the Workers School, a school run by Communist party members. (21:14-25:11)... Stern became a member of the CP's Women Commission's Committee that drafted resolutions and statements about women's issues, such as equal pay and discrimination. The committee opposed an equal rights amendment (ERA) because they felt special protection was needed for women's issues. (25:11-31:23)... In 1935, Bernhard stopped working for the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences. The state of the economy, anti-Semitism, and an emerging fear of fascism all combined to make it extremely difficult for him to find work. Stern's work with the Rank-and-File Federationist did not provide any money to support the family. She had difficulty finding work and was turned down for teaching and newspaper editor positions. Then, in 1937, she was asked by the hairdressers union to help organize. End of tape. *** File: refcstern5.mp3 (0:00-7:33)... From 1936-1938, Stern worked as an organizer for the hairdressers union, which applied to join the AFL. Then, in 1938, Stern became the educational director of the United Office and Professional Workers Union (it is the Office and Professional Employees International Union, OPEIU)/CIO. She educated white-collar workers about trade unions. Although the local New York union grew, organizing nationally was slow and difficult. Many white collar workers looked down upon unionism and were unfamiliar with important labor struggles. Women's issues were not a priority in the local union. (7:33-17:18)... When Stern was organizing the hairdressers, 1936-1938, she organized a successful strike for unionization and higher wages. She did not get paid for her organizing and often used her own money to pay for supplies. When the union applied to join the AFL, they were rejected because they suspected Stern was a "red." Stern agreed to leave the hairdressers union so it could join the AFL. Although long-term employment in the 1930s was scarce for Stern, but her many jobs provided her a vast range of experience. End of tape.
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0082541101495811-refcstern5.mp3 Public
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