Blog #6 Interview

I choose the interview with James Cerofeci, from 10/19/1981. I believe the interviewer is trying to find out what it was like to work in a factory and how things changed when they form a union. James was a factory worker in the early 1900’s. In Queens for the Steinway Piano factory, James was in “rubbing department”. (The factory closed for three years during the depression) James states that, “It was all hand work, and you pretty much did the same thing?” But that wasn’t the problem, the problem was they were being discriminated against, and their wages were being cut, and they didn’t like it. So James decided to form a union, it started out with talking about it and then they began to meet outside of the factory at a local bar. “Bussey’s bar” it was close to the factory. Their meeting grew through word of mouth, it took some time “a hell of a lot of time” says James. According to James he formed Local 101. He states that the Steinway Company was very upset, but couldn’t do anything about it too many people were sticking together. They fought because they didn’t like discrimination or their wages, they had no holidays, and they had nothing. James realizes they could have been fired any time that they were not protected. James states that he never got credit for forming the union.
James reminded me of all the Wal-Mart employees. The Wal-Mart employees are also being discriminated against and are unhappy with their salaries just like the Steinway employees, the Steinway employees did not shy away like the Wal-Mart workers. They forged ahead and made a difference. Wal-Mart employees could do the same thing; they just have to bond together and create a union. This shows that we can make a difference that there is strength in numbers!!!