Document text
Accession no.
W 5e29
Date received
1C/1G/40
Consignment no.
1
Shipped from
teeth. Office
Label
Amount
4p
WPA L. C. PROJECT
Form -3
kl.Qr.9 Collection (or Type)
Title Packinouse vvorker
4trito rf I UNIT
Place of ori Chic ric J. Date...LAI-in__
Project worker Strti7 Burks
Project editor
Remarks
FOLKLORE
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
CHICAGO
STATE
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DACE
SUBJECT
FORM A
Ciroumstanoes of Interview
Illinois
Betty Burke
1339 S. Troy
June 21, 1939
Packing House Worker
1. Date and time of interview
2. Place of interview
JUL 6 iggg
June 21, 700 pm.
4817 Ashland Ave.
workers home
3. Name add address of informant
Jesse Peres
4817 Ashland Ave.
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch
with informant.
B. Name and address of person, if any, aocompanying you.
None
None
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
2nd floor flat above a store on a business street. 7 or 8 roams. Rent
out same rooms. God furniture, plain, in hat the house. Other rooms
totally empty. Finds it hard to pay the rent but likes the large rooms and
the fact that there is a modern bathroom so much that he would rather
struggle along there than MOTO.
W3629
FOLKLORE
FORK B
Personal History of Informant
STATE Illinois
NAME BD WOFLIER Betty Burke
ADDRESS 1339 S.,TrOrSi.
D&TE JUNE 21, 1939
SUBJECT Packinghouse worker's job
NAME OF INFORMART Jesse Peres
CHICAGO
1. Ancestry Mexican
2. Place and date of birth
3. Family Polish wife, three small children
4. Places lived in, with dates
5. Education, with dates
6. Occupations and accempilishments,withe dates Voluntary organiser MT Par.O.C.
7. Special skills andinterests Interested in union work and in political
affairs, especially local yards activity.
8. Community and religious activities
9. Description of informant Ukusually tall for Mexican -6 feet at least
speaks English not so well, Spanish
perfectly. Looks like a Spaniard, Extremely
fond of his children.
10. Other Pointe gained in interview
FOLKLORE
FORM C
CHICAGO
Text of Interview (Unedited)
STATE Illinois
NAME OF WORKER .Betty Burke
ADORES& 1339 S. Troy St.
DATE June 21, 1939
SUBJECT Paokinghouse worker
NAME OF INFORMANT Jesse Perez
The bosses in the yards never treat Mexican worker IMMO as rest. For
'sample, they been treatin, me, well, ever since I start wearinl the button
they start to pick an' Iscriminates. I was first to wear CIO button.
I start in as laborer. Get 62i oents hour. I get laid -off slip from
fellow who has to leave town, that's how I get in employment office. Now I
work as beef lugger, oarryinst the beef on outtie floor. Work is beaview
than laborer, make 70 hour.
I can butcher, but they won't give me job. They fired me on account of
CIO union one time. 'started organise the boys on the gang. I was acting
as steward for CIO unions We had so much speed up and I was advisint the
boys to out the speed and so when I start tellint the boys we have a union
for them they all join up. Almost all join right away. So we talk all the
time what the union goin' to do for us, goin" raise wages, stop speed-up,
ant the bosses watch ant they know it's a union oemill.
So every day they start sayin, we behint in the work. They start speedinl
up the boys more an' more every day.
FONaCiaCRE
FORM D
CHICAGO
Extra Comment
State Illinois
NAME OF WORM Betty Burke
ADDRESS 1339 S. Troy S4.
DATE June 21, 1939
SUBJECT Packinghouse worker's job
NAME OF INRDEMANT Jesse Peres
The boys ask me, what you gonna do? Can't keep on speed-up like
this. We made stoppage. TO.' bosses we workin' too fast, can't keep
up. The whole gang, thirteen men, they all stop. Bosses come ant say,
we ain't standint for nothint lke this. So 4 days later they fire the
whole gang, wxcept 2. So we took the case in the labor board and they
call the boys for witness. Labor board say we got to get jobs back.
Boss got to promise to put us back as soon as they can. That time was
slack, but now all work who was fired. All got work.
Now the bosses try to provoke strike before CIO get ready, before
jibe men know what to do. Foremen always try to get in argument about
work, to make the boys mad so they quit work. We know what they do, we
don't talk back, got to watoh out they don't play trick like that.