Document text
Accession no.
W 3624
WPA L. C. PROJECT Writer,' UNIT
Form -4
EglikiStrIt..Collection (or Type)
Date received
10/10/40
Consignment no.
1
Shipped from
Wash. Office
Label
Amount
4p
Tftlafflerican lives Packinghouse worker
Place of origin_ Chioncla Illinois Date 5/109
Project worker Bitty Burke
Project editor
Remarks
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE
NAME OF WORKER Betty Burke
ADDRESS 1339 S. Troy
DATE May 16, 1939
SUBJECT American Lives
Packinghouse worker
1. Date and time of interview May 15, 1939, 6130 p.m.
2. Place of interview 101 S. Ashland, Meet Side YWCA.
FOLKLORE
CHICAGO
3. Name and address of informant Gertrude D.
(Withholds address and insists very strongly
that her name not be used.)
4. Name and address of person, if any,
who put you in touch with informant.gone
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
None
6. Description of room,house, surroundings, etc.
WM Center, West Side. Family awns home
on North Sid., in good condition. Good,
quiet neighborhood.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each bearing
the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
W3624
STATE
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
NAME OF INFORMANT
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
Betty Burke
1339 S. Troy St.
May 15, '39.
American Lives
Paokinghouse worker
Gertrude D.
FOLKLORE
CHICAGO
I've worked in Reliable Packing Co. for the last 6 years, mostly in Sliced
Baoon. I just wrap up the bacon as it comes out of the slicing machine, ih those
cellophane wrappers, and staok them. I have lots of fun at work, we kid around
with the guys all the time. Sometimes we fry bacon on a little electric plats
that we plug up to one of the machines. A bunch of us always eat together. We
even make ooffee. It's against rules to cook anything, really. You're supposed
to use the cafeteria. But the boss don't care, he comes around lunch time and
we make him eat with sts. He likes our gang. Some of the old Polish women get
sore as heck because he treats us better than them. They don't like to see young
girls and fellows have a good time, but we don't do anything. We just monkey
around a little bit, that's all. They're just jealous 'cause th...2a can't.
I get paid by the hour. It's pretty nice where I work. It gets cold, but
I don't mind. I got two weeks vacation with pay this winter, I took another
week off without pay, the boss let me off, and I went to Florida. Did I have
fun! I was flat broke when I came back.
We have a union in our place. It's the Employees Mutual Benefit Associa-
tion. We have dances and socials, bunco parties, things like that. We have our
Grievance oommittee, all that. Of course, the CIO had to came butting in where
they weren't wanted and lots of people joined but my gang didn't and I'm glad.
I'm satisfied with my job and I got no kick with the company. Why should I worry
FORM D
Extra Comment
FOLKLORE
CHICAGO
STATE
NAME OF lORhER Betty Burke
ADDRESS 1339 S. Troy
DATE May 15, 1939
SUBJECT Packinghouse Worker
NAME OF INFORMANT Gertrude D.
about somebody else's troubles on the job? I pay my dues to the Employees
Association and always will. They're just jealous of anybody with a good
job, and they join the CIO and try to get the company to give them all the
easy work. Some of them in the CIO union won't even talk to us anymore, can
you imagine thatl We get alone at work better than any of them, so we don't
pay any attention to them.