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Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview FOLKLORE
N7L-,W YORK
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Terry Roth Sam Schwartz
47 W. 69th St. 2800 Bronx Park East
ADDRESS N. Y. C. Bronx, N. Y.
DLTE 4/27
SUBJECT How It Was
1. Date and tim. of Jiterview
April 25 April 26
2. Place of interview
Greek Fur Local
3. Name and address of informant
Mr. Kantaizes
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accornpanyin you
Sam Schwartz
6. Description of room, house, surroundincs, etc.
(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.)
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
STATE New York
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
NAME OF '.i0RhIR Terry Roth Sam Schwartz
47 W. 69th St. 2800 Bronx Park East
ADDRESS N.Y.C. Bronx, N. Y.
DATE
SUBJECT
April 27, 1939
Haw It Was
HOW IT WAS
Eantaizis
When I want to become furrier, so I use to work by Greek shop.
Seventeen dollars a week. So it was like this. When I was through work, the
same building was a Jew shop, the sane kind of work. So the boss, he want me
to work so he was saying to me how the Jaw boss give me one dollar an hour and
the Greek give me thirty five cents an hour. So the next year I hear about the
big union he want to organize the Greek worker. So one day a Greek worker stop
no an the street and say I must come to union. "What is this?" He say "Strike."
"Alright. I join the strike." That time I recognize the leader. He was Ben
Gold, and I know that leader was the only leader we have in that union to organ-
ize the Greek worker from fifteen dollar a week to we get forty five and sixty
dollar.
Before that in 1922, when I come this country, I use to work
by a Greek jobber. So we use to work that time seventy hour. We saw. We be-
gin to fight about the conditions. So I start to talk by the workers. "Well,
we must fix the condition." That time I was only nine months in this country,
and we began to organize a strike in this shop without a leader. The leader
that time was myself, and another leader by the name B----. So we decide to
strike. We are only twenty four workers inside. We get a big piece paper and
we put the demands like this and we strike. The same night we strike, the peo-
pie he was ready and the boss come right over and say. "Alright boys, I
accept everything you want without a lawyer." So we start to work. The
next day when the job was finish, the boss say. "You out and you out and
you finished."
He was a small shop, a small room and that kind, he was pieces furs.
So I went there to learn the job and this guy was happy because he have only
workers without money. And I sat over there four weeks, no pay. After that
I use to work for another shop. He start to pay me thirty cents an hour and
then thirty six an hour. That guy said to me. "If you want to go find better
job, you go to market, Twenty Seventh Street." I go to market and I find job.
One time I use to work by big shop. He MRS 333 Seventh Avenue, the
biggest shop in the market. Mr. G he was an old man about sixty and we are
about 135 workers inside. I was interested about the boss. Was three sons
and three foremans and the same boss. He start to work like a horse. He was
very small man. He wants to get every day out two coats. I was so interested
haw that guy with three sons and three foremans, I can't understand why he work
like a dog he must finish two coats himself every day.
And then I use to work 1916 by a Greek shop. He was the finisher's
department here and the operator's department. So :he Greek girls start to
talk sometimes. This boss he say. "Hey, you Smatoes, you stop talking." My
sister in law use to work over there with the girls. I get up from my machine.
I say. "What you think you are? You are a man without education. What you
trying, to make them work like horse,"