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Mulligan, Rose Echeverria (audio interview #2 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This second of four interviews with Rose Echeverria Mulligan (pseudonym) recorded in the den of her comfortable suburban home. Mulligan remained candid and open and provided valuable detail about her experiences during the war. She seemed starve for someone to talk with and welcomed the interview. Although the audio quality of the interview is generally good. there is a slight sound problem at the end of side 2C as a result of a slowing in the speed of the recording. 2/5/1981
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- 2021-08-11
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- SUBJECT BIO - Rose Echeverria Mulligan (pseudonym) worked in defense during her senior year in high school under the "4-4 Plan." She attended four hours of classes and spent the other four hours making bombay doors in the small-scale factory set up by Avion (a subsidiary of Douglas Aircraft) in the Industrial Arts shop at Garfield High School. The last of three children, Echeverria was born in Los Angeles. She worked at the dime store while attending high school, until she joined the "4-4" plan. The pay she received for this work, half of which she contributed to her family, was better than what she had been earning at Grant's. Although she did not like the factory work, she viewed it as a patriotic contribution, helping the young men she knew in the service. However, she had no intention of continuing to work in defense, after graduation. Seeking a job that was not noisy or dirty, she started working as a receptionist after graduation, and continued doing this work until after she married. A year after her marriage, in 1948, she became a full-time homemaker, returning to work briefly in 1951 before her second child was born. After that, she returned to full-time homemaking. Three interviews were held with Mulligan in her home, located on a quiet, tree-lined street in the San Fernando Valley. The furnishings reflected her husband's relatively comfortable salary. She was a willing participant and had no trouble expressing herself. Because she was so open and candid about very personal and painful events in her life, she ultimately decided to use a pseudonym, selecting a name that revealed both her family's Basque roots and her Anglo married name. TOPICS - plant environment, Avion; work attire and supplies; on-the-job training; job responsibilities; production expectations; company activities; working conditions; work expectations; school performance; and clerical wwork environment at Avion; wages; mother; household responsibilities; working conditions; gender relations; gender roles; work expectations and attitudes; social activities; social climate during WWII; race relatiorace relations and gang activity at Garfield High School; zoot-suit movement; racial prejudice; Mexican and Anglo identity issues; attitudes towards marriage and divorce; husband; and marital relationship; Note: towork at Lockheed; childcare; earnings; marriage; husband; social activities; clerical work; work environment at Sterling; workplace romances; sexual harassment; and family history;
- *** File: rrrrmulligan5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:25)... Mulligan's first day at Avion was spent shopping for work attire and tools. She showed up wearing pants, a blouse, and her hair tied back. The company preferred that employees purchase special work attire that included lightweight coveralls, a hat with a cloth that covered their hair, and shoes. Mulligan purchased some of these items as well as a toolbox and a set of tools. When she started working at the plant, she was insecure about her decision because she knew nothing about factory work. She remembers that the plant was not heated and it was extremely cold during the winters. (3:25-6:36)... Her second day at Avion, she received training on drilling, riveting, bucking, and filing. When she learned these skills, she was sent to work on the assembly line with adult lead employees. Although they the trainees were unfamiliar with factory work, they learned their skills quickly. However, most of the trainees felt they were in over their heads. After they learned the necessary skills, their next goal was speed and efficiency. (6:36-10:22)... Mulligan initially had trouble adjusting to working with machinery and equipment. She wanted to do a good job and was proud of herself when her work passed inspection. Employees were generally placed in jobs where they excelled. Mulligan started working at Avion in September 1944 and was promoted to an inspector position by December. The full-time inspectors at Avion supervised Mulligan. (10:22-12:46)... The plant manager at Avion occasionally held production meetings to encourage the employees to work harder and faster to speed up production. When Mulligan was responsible for inspecting the doors, she was surprised how quickly the employees produced the doors and without flaws. She describes her job responsibilities, indicating that inspectors ensured that the quality of the product was good. (12:46-14:13)... The plant was cold and noisy, but she eventually adjusted to these working conditions. After she started working at Avion, she forgot about her distaste for the clothes that she was required to wear and was more concerned about the importance of her work. However, when she was hired as an inspector she liked the fact that she could wear pants instead of a uniform because it gave her more individuality. (14:13-15:38)... The plant organized a company picnic for the employees in June 1944 at Griffith Park. A leadman offered to take Mulligan and her friends if she agreed to baby sit his son at the picnic. None of her friends had cars at the time so they decided to accept the invitation. It was a good opportunity for employees to socialize and relax on their day off. (15:38-25:09)... Avion offered the student employees a $50 bonus if they agreed to stay at the plant and finish the Douglas contract after they graduated from high school. Mulligan accepted the bonus and was hired at the plant full-time. She left Avion in August 1944. She knew from the outset that she did not want to work in the defense industry any longer. She preferred to work in an office environment because it was safe and clean. Douglas and Lockheed were located far from her home. She feared that she would be assigned the night shift and would have to travel to the plant alone in the evenings. She applied for two clerical positions in the Los Angeles area. When she was hired as an order clerk, she was trained to operate a switchboard. When the woman who trained her was fired, Mulligan assumed the position and was insecure about her abilities to do the job correctly. (25:09-30:20)... Most of the students who decided to work at Avion had previously held after-school jobs. Like Mulligan, many believed that working at Avion was a way of coordinating school with work and would shorten their day. In reality, the work and the schedule was much more difficult than any of them imagined. Mulligan's grades suffered because of her defense work. She discusses the classes she took at Garfield High School and her scholastic performance while she was employed at Avion. End of tape. *** File: rrrrmulligan6.mp3 (0:00-0:40)... Mulligan talks about the family's living conditions and her mother's insistence that the portable heaters in their home be turned off in the evenings. (0:40-3:45)... Mulligan's starting wage at Avion was .90 cents an hour with a ceiling wage of $1.10. Many of the employees wanted to work overtime so they could earn extra money. Mulligan used her wages to pay her mother room and board. She tried to save her money so that when the contract ended at Avion she would have enough money to take care of herself until she found a new job. She did not seriously think about moving out of her mother's home. She was responsible for certain household chores, such as making her bed and doing her laundry. When she turned eighteen, Mulligan's mother expected her to support herself. (3:45-6:45)... Mulligan's male classmates also went to work at Avion. The mood was somber because everyone knew that the boys would be going into the service when the contract ended. It was a sad future for so many young boys to face. Many of the students resented the older men workers because they were smug and felt like they "had it made." There was little respect for their presence at the plant and they were not perceived as nice people. Once the students became efficient workers, the full-time staff seemed to cut back on their work and sit back and watch the students do the work. (6:45-12:42)... The men at Avion occasionally flirted with the young student workers. The girls knew that they could not trust these men and stayed away from them. For the most part, the girls were too busy to socialize during work hours. Every minute of their time was accounted for and they only received one ten-minute break during the four hours they worked at the plant. When their shift ended, they had forty-five minutes to change their clothes, eat lunch, and get to school in time for classes. When she got to school, she was "half dead" and felt dirty from the film of steel dust that settled on her body when parts were filed inside the plant. Her classmates who did not work at Avion wondered why she decided to place herself in such a predicament. Upon reflection, she would not make the same decision if she had a chance to live her life over again. Her defense job did not help her get any future jobs. However, she developed a strong work ethic because of her defense work, which benefited her in life. (12:42-15:29)... It was easier for the girls to work with the women workers at Avion. Initially, these women trained the girls and were nice, motherly figures. Mulligan believes that the labor force at Avion was cut back prior to the students entering the plant so that there would not be an abundance of employees. However, there were a substantial number of adults working at Avion. The men were the ones who "cracked the whip," although some women were eventually promoted to lead positions. Mulligan talks about a company photograph, indicating that she did not want to be part of the photograph and was embarrassed to be "seen" at the plant. Many of her friends felt the same way. (15:29-17:46)... There was not a union at Avion. When she was employed as an inspector at the plant, she missed a couple of days of work because of an illness. In her absence, none of the doors that came into her department were inspected and this work awaited her when she returned to work. The men who worked in the station behind her did not inspect the doors but were still paid. She did not receive any sick pay and had to work overtime to get her work done. She felt that this was an unfair company policy and had there been a union for the employees it would not have occurred. (17:46-25:29)... During the war, Mulligan's social activities were limited because she did not have enough energy to do very many things. On Saturdays, she spent her day doing household chores. On Sundays, she visited with girlfriends and her friends on leave from the service. The soldiers were paid only $21a month for their duty. Whenever she went out with a soldier, they went "Dutch" or she paid for the entire date. She spent a lot of her time reading and writing letters to servicemen stationed overseas. Occasionally, Mulligan and her girlfriends baked cookies for injured soldiers and visited them in the hospital. During these visits, she realized how much the war changed men. She had no idea what the future held for the men when they returned from the war. She was happy when they returned home safe and healthy. (25:29-31:21)... When Mulligan was in grammar school and junior high school, her friends were of different races and ethnicities. She discusses International Day at her junior high school and the celebration of different cultures. When she got into high school and the war began, distinct racial lines were drawn. Her Japanese friend, Martha Yamamoto, was sent to a concentration camp during the war. The male student population thinned out dramatically and the girls began experiencing difficulty getting along with each other because of the stress of losing the boys. The Anglo girls supported the Anglo servicemen and the Mexican girls supported the Mexican servicemen. Mulligan only wrote to Mexican soldiers during the war. She digresses regarding the expectation of marrying when the men returned from the war. End of tape. *** File: rrrrmulligan7.mp3 (0:00-7:24)... Mulligan continues her discussion on the racial problems that existed at her high school. There were groups of "tough" girls that she considered gangs. These girls were both Mexican and Anglo. She describes a gang fight that occurred after school and how it affected her life. On another occasion, she was pushed and scratched by an Anglo girl while playing basketball in gym class. Mulligan did not provoke this treatment and believes it is an example of the racial tensions that existed at school. In a way, she feels that her decision to work at Avion was partly because she wanted to escape from these tensions in high school. Once she started working, she forgot about these petty problems. (7:24-17:48)... Mulligan felt that the men who wore zoot-suits looked "pathetic." She believes the zoot-suit movement began because men wanted to look nice when they went to church on Sunday. Men were forced to wear tapered, high-waisted pants because that was the kind of attire sold in the department stores at the time. There was a distinct difference between this attire and the tailored zoot-suit. She does not recall any specific criminal activity perpetrated by zoot-suiters. She found their behavior distasteful because they were noisy and used slang when they talked. The zoot-suit girls always wore black skirts and their hair up in a pompadour. She was disgusted by their exaggerated dancing techniques. She thought zoot-suiters were "losers" who gave Mexicans a bad name. However, she heard that zoot-suiters who went into the service were heroic and returned home "reformed." (17:48-20:39)... Mulligan discusses the bitterness her brother felt because of racial discrimination in the service. He was determined not to marry a Mexican woman because he did not want his children to be Mexicans. At some point, she resigned herself to the idea that she would not marry a Mexican. Even though she pursued Mexican men, she believes that Mexicans were afraid to marry each other because they would not have much of a future together. When she met her husband, she was hesitant to pursue him because she thought that the underlying reason for dating him was because he was Irish. (20:39-31:13)... Mulligan talks about her ideals related to marriage and family. She segues into a discussion regarding her difficulties dealing with her ethnic background and inferiority issues. There was a point in her life when she decided to "take up arms" to defend her ethnicity; however, she learned that this was a heavy burden to bear and prefers to surround herself with people who understand who she is. When she married her husband, her brother-in-law openly expressed his disdain for her and often referred to her children as "half-breeds." Mulligan digresses regarding her husband's work commitments and the status of their marital relationship. She often thinks about returning to work so that she has a means of financial support in case her marriage fails, which she feels is applicable to all women. She found it difficult to find work when she moved to the valley with her husband in 1951. End of tape. *** File: rrrrmulligan8.mp3 (0:00-4:26)... Mulligan applied for a job at Lockheed when she was twenty-seven years old. She was hired and trained to work in the print shop. She worked the night shift from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Her husband was a firefighter and worked twenty-four shifts. She hired a baby sitter to care for her children when she and her husband were not home. After paying for her child care, carpool, and meal expenses, she earned only $12 a week. Her husband was not happy with her working outside the home. They got into an argument and she decided to quit her job. She has not worked since. She occasionally looks for work, but no one will hire her because she has been unemployed for so many years. (4:26-18:20)... Mulligan was hired to do clerical work for Sterling Electrical Motors when she was eighteen years old. A few of the married men at the company asked her out on dates. She declined their invitations. She dated some of the young, single men at the company but found them to be boring. While most of the married women at the company were dedicated to their husbands who were fighting in the war overseas, others were tired of waiting for their husbands to return and wanted to meet men. Mulligan occasionally went out with these married women on Saturday nights and was introduced to cigarettes and alcohol for the first time. It was not Mulligan's style to date strangers and she eventually tapered off her social activities with women she thought were too wild and out on the "loose." She considered herself a "straight-laced" young woman. When she met her husband, she was hesitant to commit to him because she did not know him very well. However, she thought he was a good catch and a way for her to get out of the "revolting" environment at Sterling. She believes that women pay the price when office romances go awry. At Sterling, "loose, wild, or gabby" girls were fired. In general, Mulligan thinks that the "anything goes" attitude stills exists. She mentions her husband's illness and the inappropriate cards he received from women co-workers. (18:20-29:08)... Mulligan's older sister married a soldier in June 1941 and got pregnant shortly afterwards. When she gave birth to her son, she stopped working and continued to live with Mulligan, her grandmother, and her mother. Mulligan resented this arrangement because she and her mother were the only ones contributing to the family income. Mulligan vowed that she would not follow her sister's example. She wanted to postpone marriage and children until she moved out of her mother's home. Her sister's husband came home from the war at the end of 1945 and accused her of being unfaithful. Their relationship was rocky. Mulligan's sister changed from a submissive and quiet woman to a domineering woman. She stayed married to her husband and even though they live together, they live separate lives. (29:08-31:05)... Mulligan discusses her husband ethnicity and her thoughts on people from mixed backgrounds. She has a tendency to identify with Anglos because she spent so many years trying to do so. She feels that she has lost track of her Mexican heritage. She has faith that people can overcome racial prejudices.
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