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Santora, Mamie (audio interview #2 of 2)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - Like the first interview with Santora, the second one was again conducted in her small, neat bungalow in a working class neighborhood of Baltimore. By the time of this interview, she was clearer that I was not from the union and, as a result, was more candid and less cautious in her criticisms of the union. We even returned to the discussion of the fate of the resolution for a Women's Department or Bureau and revealed the dynamics that led to her own vote and the defeat of the resolution. TOPICS - formation of Baltimore Women's Local (70); Dorothy Jacobs Bellanca; Sam Levine; organizing efforts in Baltimore; Wage and Trade Board, Strauss & Brothers; walkout and strike at Strauss & Brothers; formation of ACWA; organizing drive in Philadelphia; gender discrimination in ACWA; nomination to general executive board; and tokenism;Baltimore Women's Local (70); 1924 and 1926 ACWA National Conventions; debate over formation of ACWA Women's Bureau or Department; gender discrimination in ACWA; Sarah Rozner; Sarah Budinsky (sp?); IWW; Sidney and Bessie Hillman; WTUL; Eleanor Roosevelt; and decline of garment industry in Baltimore; 6/5/2002
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- 2020-03-30
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- SUBJECT BIO - Mamie Santora was elected to the ACWA General Executive Board (GEB) in 1920, only the second woman to serve in this capacity. Born in Baltimore, the first of eight children, Santora began to work in her father's tailor shop after she finished 6th grade. When he closed the shop in 1914, she went to work at a clothing factory. Originally joining the IWW, as soon as the ACWA was formed, she joined and became an activist. In 1915 she joined the Women's Local in Baltimore (Local 70, which was actually the Buttonholers Local]. After WWI, when the company for which she worked went out of business, Sidney Hillman appointed her to the Baltimore Joint Board. Following her election to the GEB, she was sent to different eastern cities to work on organizing drives. Santora was on the GEB when women from the Women's Locals in several cities agitated for a Women's Bureau or Women's Department. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - Like the first interview with Santora, the second one was again conducted in her small, neat bungalow in a working class neighborhood of Baltimore. By the time of this interview, she was clearer that I was not from the union and, as a result, was more candid and less cautious in her criticisms of the union. We even returned to the discussion of the fate of the resolution for a Women's Department or Bureau and revealed the dynamics that led to her own vote and the defeat of the resolution. TOPICS - formation of Baltimore Women's Local (70); Dorothy Jacobs Bellanca; Sam Levine; organizing efforts in Baltimore; Wage and Trade Board, Strauss & Brothers; walkout and strike at Strauss & Brothers; formation of ACWA; organizing drive in Philadelphia; gender discrimination in ACWA; nomination to general executive board; and tokenism;Baltimore Women's Local (70); 1924 and 1926 ACWA National Conventions; debate over formation of ACWA Women's Bureau or Department; gender discrimination in ACWA; Sarah Rozner; Sarah Budinsky (sp?); IWW; Sidney and Bessie Hillman; WTUL; Eleanor Roosevelt; and decline of garment industry in Baltimore;
- File: lhgwmsantora3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:37)... In 1914, Santora joined the Women's Local in Baltimore [Note: earlier she noted that she joined the Women's Local in 1915]. Only buttonhole makers were in it until 1925, when the Local opened its membership to men and women who did other operations. Santora, Dorothy (Jacobs) Bellanca, Sam Levine a someone named Sadie were elected officers of the local. [Note: Unless there was another Sam Levine, this is questionable. Sam Levine was in Chicago. Also, she might be thinking of Sadie Goodman, who was in the Women's Local in Rochester]. On Sundays, Santora and Bellanca visited people in their homes in an attempt to organize new members. Whenever they were in an anti-Jewish neighborhood, Bellanca stayed outside and Santora talked to people about the union. Santora and Bellanca both worked in clothing factories at that time and conducted their union business in an alley before going to work. (3:37-4:50)... During WWI, Santora was a member of the Wage and Trade Board at Strauss & Brothers. She did not complete very much work during this period because she was constantly called on to review work and set prices. (4:50-9:28)... She was not sure why she and the other women decided to form a separate Women's Local for the buttonhole makers. When she joined the ACWA, the idea was that a union was needed to improve working conditions and obtain a better price for the work being performed. She discusses the working conditions at Strauss & Brothers and her involvement in the walkout at the factory just before WWI. The entire shop went on strike and a resolution was negotiated between the employer and Hyman Blumberg. (9:28-15:31)... Santora joined the IWW in Baltimore when she was sixteen years old. She then joined the AFL and remained part of that organization until the split occurred between the trade and industrial workers in 1914. Dorothy Bellanca attended the national convention when the split took place and the ACWA was formed. Santora, Bellanca, Sam Levine decided to organize a women's local at that time to cover the buttonhole makers employed in the garment shops throughout Baltimore. [Editor's note: Her recollection about who was involved might not be accurate. Although Bellanca was definitely in Baltimore, it is not clear if she is correct about Sam Levine or Sadie Goodman, if it is Sadie she is referencing. In the late teens, early 20s, Goodman was in Rochester and Levine in Chicago, although it is conceivable that both of them were initially in Baltimore.] Before WWI, the membership of the Women's Local was approximately 200. Santora discusses the reasons for forming the Women's Local. When Santora brought women into the union, they were placed in the local that covered their particular skill. (15:31-27:04)... There was not a Women's Local in Philadelphia. Around 1918, she left her position as secretary-treasurer of the Baltimore Joint Board and was sent to organize clothing workers in Philadelphia. She was hired as a paid organizer by the national headquarters of the ACWA. She discusses her organizing efforts and the strike that resulted from her work, stating that she did not receive any credit from the ACWA for her efforts. (27:04-29:12)... Santora does not know if women were prompted to form a Women's Local because they were not getting enough recognition in the ACWA. At the time, she viewed her work with the union as a form of altruism. It was not until years later that she realized the union was like a business. She was approached by Hyman Blumberg to run for office on the General Executive Board because the union thought that a woman should be on the board. In 1920, she was nominated by a referendum and elected to the position. The women in the Baltimore Women's Local supported her nomination. (29:12-32:56)... Santora discusses her experiences in the Philadelphia strike and recounts an incident in which a man broke into her room at the YWCA in an attempt to scare her from following through with the strike. (32:56-41:17)... Dorothy (Jacobs) Bellanca was the only woman on the ACWA General Executive Board prior to Santora's nomination. When she married, Bellanca left the Board because her husband also was on it. She then discussed the idea of nominating Santora as a candidate with the members of the Women's Local and the men on the Executive Board. All agreed that Santora was a good candidate for office. Santora notes that more was expected of women even though they received less pay than men. Women's Locals were formed because women wanted recognition and "rights in every way." At Local meetings, women discussed their working conditions in the shops and the failure of Business Agents to resolve their complaints. She shifts to discussing her role on the Wage and Trade Board at Strauss & Brothers. End of tape. File: lhgwmsantora4.mp3 (0:00-2:28)... The Women's Local in Baltimore was called Buttonhole makers Local 70. It operated and conducted business in a similar manner as the mixed Locals in the city. Santora does not think that men resisted the formation of the Women's Local. She does not seem to remember that there were other Women's Locals besides the ones in Chicago and Baltimore. (2:28-11:08)... In this segment, attempts are made to establish the timing of the resolution to establish a Women's Bureau or Department. It was formally introduced at the 1924 ACWA National Convention. The speech that Santora gave at the convention is read during the interview in an effort to jog her memory. She recalls being told that the ACWA had "no special privileges for women". [Note: Santora requests that the recorder be turned off.] (11:08-15:36)... Resuming the discussion of the Women's Bureau or Department, Santora notes that women like Sarah Rozner from Local 275 in Chicago fought hard for a separate Women's Bureau but that no one would listen to her. When Santora informed the women in Local 70 about the failure to win a resolution for the Women's Bureau, they did not put up a fight. Strauss & Brothers was closed around the same time and many women were preoccupied with looking for jobs. Santora notes that it was when Sidney Hillman squashed the idea of separate entities for women that the women's local in Baltimore was dissolved. (15:36-19:49)... Although Santora was close to Dorothy (Jacobs) Bellanca, she thinks that Bellanca often sided with the national office because her husband was a member of the General Executive Board. Even though Santora would never say anything negative about the ACWA, it bothers her that she has not received more recognition for her efforts. She relates a conversation she had with Bessie Blumberg regarding an event held in Baltimore in honor of Hyman Blumberg, which Santora to which she was not invited. (19:49-24:18)... A women's meeting was held during ACWA national conventions, at which women talked about the labor issues in their city. They did not talk about gender equality or how women were treated in the ACWA. Santora gave the women pep talks at these meetings. She would have liked there to be more conversations about women's issues, but it was difficult for her to find support for these topics. She switches her focus and talks about her role as secretary-treasurer for the Baltimore Joint Board and her dealings with Sarah Borinsky. Santora believes that Borinsky was fired by the ACWA because she was dictatorial. Had Santora behaved in a similar manner, the union probably would have placed her "where a dog doesn't even want to live." (24:18-29:55)... Santora thinks that her speech regarding the formation of a Women's Bureau or Department was good. In general, she believes that women readily accept responsibilities and do better work than most men. When she gave speeches regarding women, no one labeled her as a feminist. However, she thought of herself as a feminist and did not care what anyone thought about her ideas. She developed her attitudes about life from her father who was a hard worker, a successful businessman, and a member of the Knights of Labor. (29:55-30:58)... She joined the IWW when she started working in the garment industry. Initially, she was hesitant to join the IWW because of its penchant for strikes. However, when she was told that she could not work at the shop without joining the union, she joined the IWW. She paid .25 cents in union dues. She claims that after approximately five months, the IWW Local was dissolved and merged with the United Garment Workers of the AFL. (30:58-35:27)... Santora talked to other women about putting up a fight to keep the Women's Local alive, but men in the union and other Locals in the area downplayed her efforts because they believed the union adage that women should not have any special privileges in the ACWA. Men, like Sidney Hillman, respected and listened to women, but his hands were tied in terms of making any real changes in the structure of the union. Although Bessie Hillman was a nice women, she did not do anything substantial in supporting a Women's Bureau. Bessie thought that divisions among men and women would make the union weaker. Santora discusses her thoughts on why people feared the formation of a separate women's organization in the union. (35:27-37:08)... A few of the women she worked with were feminists for their time. Only two of the eight women who formed Local 70 in Baltimore were married. While organizing in Baltimore, women from the WTUL helped Local 70 in their efforts. Santora remembers meeting Eleanor Roosevelt while organizing in Connecticut. She gets annoyed whenever she sees photographs of Roosevelt being portrayed in a homely manner because Santora found her to be an intelligent and charismatic woman. (37:08-39:37)... Santora discusses the decline of the clothing industry in Baltimore. Most of the shops in the city are now small contract shops. She also talks about the status of international labor. As the interview concludes, there is a conversation about Sarah Rozner, one of the founders of the Women's Local in Chicago (who is also included in this series). End of tape.
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