Document text
STATE
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
Forms to e Filled out for Each Interview FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
New York
Terry Roth
47 West 49 Street
Arch 14. 1949
Thanks To the %ion
1. Date and tim_ of _naterview
Week of Mirth 8ths
2. Place of interview
Stewart's Cafeteria, 2044 Broadway
3. Name and address of informant
Bob Kimmel, No moms to bo used. Omit Chain Name
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
Ur. Al. airseh, edueational director of Local 402. Cafeteria iftiOla
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanyinL you
6. Description of room, house, surroundinEs, etc.
404‘11A0 of Cafeteria
(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.)
STATE
NAME OF YORKER
ADMESS
DAIE
SU6JECT
1. Ancestry
FO72N
Personal History of Informant
New York
Terry Roth
47 West 69 Street
Maroh 14, 1939
Thanks To The Union
Not given
2. Place and date of birth
3. Family
Johnstown. Pa.
26 years of age
Not given
4. Places lived in, with dates
Jahnstown# Pa.
New York City
5. Education, with dates
FOLKLORE
NE v: YORK
Public School. 2 years of Nigh Sobool.
Night courses at 2.T.U. and lineal 302 in Trade Journalism
Occupations and accomplishments, with dates
Relief counterman
7. Special skills and interests
Journalism
8. Community and religious activities
Net given
9. Description of informant
Height about 514"# weight, approx. 130# blonds hair, blue
eyes, very pleasant face. MV guess is dutch aneestry. Informant is very much inter-
ested in making a place for himself as a writer of articles. Is attending Trade
Obarmalfigniatimmocaluirleatemeimmeond is proud of the feet that he has had an article
with a by line, in the Cafeteria Call. Hopes to
be a free lance writer and remain in the Food industry until such time as he can
support himelf by his writings.
FOLKLORE
FORM C
NEW YORK
Text of Interview (Unedited)
STATE
NANT OF woRKETI
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
New York
Terry Roth
47 west 09 Street
Wireh 14. 1959
:Marks to the Union
THANKS TO THE URIOW
Sure we have a wonderful looal. That 502 is one of the best
unions you can find in any trade. The whole trouble is that up to two
yeare so the whole thing eae conteliled by cunmen. You read in the
papers aboAt the racketeers5 didn't you? to all the food markers never
.:ot a thins outa the union. All Itu, knew was they paid money to the
ty* that same around. Ant they cot nothine for it. Romeo rottt cot
the :losibers uste uste the nions re cot elasses there now. Like me.
I belong to the Labor Journalism °lass. Look in the rest issue of The
Call. /fti Gonna have a by 111:e there. That isn't the only tang.
Twice a week I co to t.T.U. I'm study/0 Journalism. Tihen I cot off
duty now, you know what I have to do? I have to 0 lvvle and write 750
mnrdo for hJmework. Those words," It keeps bussirc in my etad. 750
words for ho:zework; 000 words :or londay's *lass. And besides that,
I have to polish up my aitiele. And It's z:ot ii s the way au_have
tn do it. My construction 44 to be perfect, ..4r else it's no good.
.2.
Being a relief counterman is as good as anything a guy
can get today, thanks to the union. I get 40 an hour, vacation
with pey, the best food in the house. Even better than the trade
gets. That's because we know what's doing in the kitchen. had
remember this. All you can eat. If you want two desserts, that's
O.K. The hours are good now, too. Eight hour day, with two relief
periods.
The whole crew here 'wears by the union and little by little,
most of them are starting to get interested in the life of the union.
At first they were suspicious. YOU know. We're paying dues, so what
more does the union want. But when they look around they see that that's
not enough. So a lot of them are taking part in the activities. I sit
in on the executive board. Another tenor here, hes our shop chairman
now, he's taking up movie photography to be the union photographer.
Ili never took pictures before, but he had an aocordian and he thought
he'd study music. But he figured out that you have to get a push from
someone to get any place with music. So he walked into a swap shop and
turned in the acoordian for a swell movie omen*. Now he's getting S
fellows to put in 'Lome money for the best of everything, film, and what-
ever else he needs. He'll tcke pictures of the union dement, the picnic.,
etc. And now he's got a swell idea. He's taking pictures to show the
life of a cafeteria worker. rie took pictuxes of the eauntermAr doing
his job. Then he shows him looking at the clock.. It's 4 o'clock.
Time to go home. Next, he shows the man walking on the street to the
subway, Tow they have to get stxae shots of him in the subee:/, and in
his home. rhat he has to do now i5 get permission from the chain to take
.4*
a lot of pictures around the job* You see what I'm rettin at? He's only
been a C,feteria worker two years, and before that he lived in Penrsylvitnia,
so what did he know about the food workers* how he's getting to be a rood
active Aember*
Tle isn't the only one!. The a fellow, Louis, works for the
Exichanre ThIffet* So one day Mr* Alllott„ the boss, calls the workers to*
gether en" tells them that business is very slow and that they should co*
operate with the firm and take a out* So this Louis speaks right up to the
boss and sa7ve "Par forty five year; your business made a profit and you
never asked us to share it. Now you cows to us and ask us to share your
losses*" !7o Ur* Millett tells them that they are all free to look for
another job if they don't like the conditions in the chain. Just like
tellin: them to 0 back to Russia if they don't like it here* So one of
the othrn workers there says* "Listen, 2*4, Millett, the slaves down south didn't
to back t7) Africa. They stayed hart a4d freed themeolves." You can see that
they've rot what it takes to make a real militant union* Maybe it's a little
slow in brinc it out, but they'll full in.
Then there aro two sisters in our local. One is settee and tho
other one isn't ir:terested ta the local at all. In fact, she says she'd
rather not be kmworn as the first one's sister. That's funny, isn't it.
But tAnc,sltk tVt happen.
Food Worker's langua4e. Gone from the Cafeterias. Used only along
ifttoeflont an in &liars,
Ethopian Muffins.,eseiesio040,0,0104.41 muffins
Poached eg2s on toast Adam and Eve on a raft
Scrambled ec5* Adam and Eve hot and bothered
Griddle Cakes Pack of wheaties
TWO fried e, -s Make 2 look at we
Two fried egs Blind Ism
Corned beef hash Yesterday's oorned beef
Rowl of soup One without the thumb
Strlwberry Jello Jack Bonny in the red
glass of ailk Jersey 000ktail or Sweet Alice or
Holstein highball
A light coffee Make a blonde
A black coffee..... Make a brunette
Virginia ham. Southern Swine
Dish of Spaghetti A yard of
Lam and *65* Two cackles in oik, in the Southern way.
arange Juice...... 000000 Hug one
Bottle of Coon...Cola Fop one
Glass of Coca...Cola Stretch one
Glas+f *oat...Cola with chocolate Drag one thru Georgia
Large glass of milk Stretch sweet kites
Malted Milk A yard of cor4ent
Sandwie. to 7,o ou* Put a step on it.
or5ro
MD V,FETERIAS
Pretty c,ir1 eusto 89
Good lookInz male eusto-ler 89 on toast
G1.13s of water 4•11.•••40.414,4141.0141.81
All out' there is no -11o,-4) 88