Title: Women's Oral History Project of Madison WEAC Insurance Trust Interviews
Inclusive Dates: 1977-1982

Creator:

• Women's Oral History Project

Call Number: Mss 420; PH 3907; Audio 877A; Audio 896A; Audio 900A; Audio 917A; Audio 938A; Audio 945A; Audio 979A; Audio 988A; Audio 997A; Audio 998A; Audio 1002A; Audio 1003A; Audio 1005A; Audio 1006A; Audio 1007A; Audio 1008A

Quantity: 0.2 cubic feet (1 archives box), 63 tape recordings, and 18 photographs

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Oral history interviews conducted by supporters Cindy Costello, Cathy Loeb, and others, on a 1979 strike by the women clerical workers in the United Staff Union at the Wisconsin Education Association Council Insurance Trust, Madison, Wisconsin. Also present are related miscellaneous papers including questionnaires and newsletters. The fifteen interviewees discuss the problems at the Trust, the treatment of workers that lead to the strike, the strike itself, retaliation by management after the strike, and how the strike eventually changed conditions.

Note:

There is a restriction on use of one interview in this collection; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00420

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

Interviews with fifteen women who participated in the Wisconsin Education Association Insurance Trust office workers strike of 1979. The Trust clerical workers were members of the United Staff Union which represented employees of the Wisconsin Education Association Council. Working conditions, management attitude, wages, and alleged lack of promotional opportunities led the Trust's clerical workers to go on strike, from September to November of 1979. In 1981 and 1982, the Women's Oral History Project interviewed fifteen women involved in the strike about their work and family histories, experiences as Trust employees, motivations for participating in the strike, and the effects of the strike on their lives.

The interviews came about as a result of several women's efforts to gather support for the strikers. Impressed by the impact of the strike on the Trust women's lives, a group of six women, including Cathy Loeb and Cindy Costello launched an oral history project to document the strikers' experiences. Interviews were conducted either by Project members in teams or by Loeb or Costello. A questionnaire (in Box 1, Folder 3) was used by the interviewers as the framework for the interviews found in this collection.

This collection consists of recorded interviews, written abstracts of the interviews, newsletters, strike bulletins, and other papers. The interviews focus on the problems at the Trust, the treatment of workers that led to the strike, the strike itself, retaliation by management after the strike, and how it eventually changed conditions. None of the fifteen women interviewed had ever been involved in a strike before.

Denise DeLong's interview is particularly informative since she was the de facto strike leader. As the union steward she was involved in the negotiation process, oversaw various strike committees, was involved in all aspects of the bargaining process, and was spokesperson for the bargaining team. Pam Born was in charge of the strike headquarters and a member of the publicity committee. Her interview provides information on the organization of the Trust. Paula Krueger grew up in World War II Germany and this background clearly influences her feelings about the strike. She made posters, picketed, and helped with fundraising. Kathy Munz was also on the bargaining team and picketed. She compares her previous work experience at Wisconsin Physicians Service and the conditions there with those at the Trust. Sandy Tordoff worked on the bargaining team drafting proposals and served on the newsletter committee. Her interview is particularly informative about conditions at the Trust after the strike. Patricia Bewick was a member of the bargaining team. Roxanne Blake walked the picket line and after the strike became a union steward. Sharon Cnare was a union steward before the strike and resigned over a dispute but nonetheless supported the strike. Lyn Laurion was on the liaison committee between the Trust and the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) which was responsible for coordinating planning and money. Sue Mayfield worked on the publicity committee, organizing committee, and bargaining team. Rose McDowell picketed, made phone calls, and did a small amount of publicity work. Patricia Schlueter picketed. Joy Tarpey was a member of the bargaining team and drafted proposals and was involved in the organizing committee. Rose Ann Yeadon was a picket captain and was responsible for dissuading people from crossing the picket line.

In addition to the taped interviews, other related material provides information on the strike. Included are abstracts of each interview (arranged alphabetically), newsletters written by several Trust women in the period before the strike, and strike bulletins. In 1980 the Project mailed out questionnaires in order to investigate interest in the oral history project. These were completed by 35 of the 53 women who participated in the strike and are included in the collection. Contract drafts, a chronological history of the relationship between the Trust management and the United Staff Union, and related letters and memos are found in the file of Judy Neumann (a lawyer from WEAC who provided support to the strikers). A folder of miscellaneous material contains news clippings, memos, a handbill, and strike song lyrics. The collection also contains photographs including five copy negatives (the originals were returned to Costello) of women on the picket line, including one of Jane Fonda with Mayfield, DeLong, Tordoff, and Tarpey.

Use Restrictions

No release form was obtained from Joy Carol Tarpey for her interview so users should not quote from it directly.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the Women's Oral History Project, 1981 and 1982. Accession Number: M81-055, M81-068, M81-190, M81-265, M81-266, M81-391, M81-680, M82-067, M82-208, M82-237, M82-238, M82-239, M82-284, M82-285, M82-316, M82-317, M82-318, M82-319, M82-475, M82-476, M81-324, M81-110

Processing Information

Processed by Virginia Fritzsch, June 20, 1990.

	Interviews, 1981-1982
Audio   998A/1-3	Barman, Suzan
Audio   1007A/1-4	Bewick, Patricia
Audio   1002A/1-3	Blake, Roxanne
Audio   979A/1-5	Born, Pam
Audio   1008A/1-3	Cnare, Sharon
Audio   896A/1-5	DeLong, Denise
Audio   988A/1-5	Krueger, Paula
Audio   945A/1-3	Laurion, Lyn
Audio   900A/1-4	Mayfield, Susan
Audio   1006A/1-4	McDowell, Rose
Audio   1003A/1-4	Munz, Kathy
Audio   1005A/1-3	Schlueter, Patricia
Audio   887A/1-7	Tordoff, Sandy
Audio   917A/1-5	Tarpey, Joy Carol
Audio   997A/1-3	Yeadon, Rose Ann
Audio   938A/1	Picket line songs
Mss 420 Box   1 Folder   1-2	Interview abstracts
Box   1 Folder   3	Written questionnaires, 1980
Box   1 Folder   3	Newsletters, 1980 August-1980 March
Box   1 Folder   5	Judy Neumann
Box   1 Folder   6	Miscellaneous material
PH 3907	Strikers on picket line photographs