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Container
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Title
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Series: Hugo Preuss
: 1619 Elizabeth Street, Janesville
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1976 August 3
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Tape/Side
13/1-A
Time
0:00 to 0:25
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Introduction
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Tape/Side
13/1-A
Time
0:26 to 7:00
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Family background--grandparents emmigrated from Germany, parents as children at the time--origins in Pomerania near Stettin--never any desire to return to Germany
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Tape/Side
13/1-A
Time
7:01 to 10:06
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Family spoke High and Low German when H. P. was a youth--H. P. born on River St.--residences of grandparents
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Tape/Side
13/1-A
Time
10:07 to 16:22
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Maternal grandfather as a mason tender--family political background--Lutheran religious background--the role of the minister as advisor to grandparents, members at St. Paul's, Missouri Synod
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Tape/Side
13/1-A
Time
16:23 to 27:03
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Persistent German custom--gardening--Low v. High German--no German spoken after World War I, warned by minister--minister used Bible to encourage patriotism, Reverend Troy--no antagonism from community, played with Irish children
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Tape/Side
13/1-A
Time
27:03 to 29:23
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Relations between German Lutherans and Irish Catholics in Janesville
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Tape/Side
13/1-B
Time
0:00 to 1:15
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Relations between earlier and later German immigrants, separate communities
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Tape/Side
13/1-B
Time
1:16 to 11:00
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Hard work, mother worked in cotton mill--social life, gathering life, soda pop at the tavern--Janesville breweries, ale brewed at Boub's brewery during the summer
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Tape/Side
13/1-B
Time
11:01 to 19:45
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Elementary school at St. Paul's Lutheran--bilingual education--strict teachers--use of German declined after WW I--H. P. preferred public school--“religion to deal with” at St. Paul's, repetitive and boring--public school offered baseball and football teams
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Tape/Side
13/1-B
Time
19:46 to 30:26
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Forms of recreation as a youth--good fishing below dam, raking in fish--raking and spearing illegal--water quality good, variety of fish--lax enforcement of game laws--drownings and inexperience
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Tape/Side
13/2-A
Time
0:00 to 0:10
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Introduction
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Tape/Side
13/2-A
Time
0:11 to 1:35
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More on recreation
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Tape/Side
13/2-A
Time
1:36 to 3:36
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Odd jobs for kids--picking fruit at Kellogg Nursery--other jobs
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Tape/Side
13/2-A
Time
3:37 to 8:23
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Preus family position in community--class awareness--frugality--“high-toned” people getting into a trade as the goal
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Tape/Side
13/2-A
Time
8:24 to 11:48
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H. P. aspired to be a railroad engineer--got into electrical work through Frank Albright, a family friend--apprenticeship
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Tape/Side
13/2-A
Time
11:49 to 15:29
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German language newspaper in Janesville, both English and German papers in Preus home--German paper in Janesville stopped publishing around WW I
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Tape/Side
13/2-A
Time
15:30 to 28:25
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Further comments on apprenticeship--wiring for lights as primary work for apprentice--contractors did not push wall plugs and appliances in early stages of electrical business--machine work--H. P. developed great interest in electricity--rapid changes in electronics--from current to electron theory, H. P. learning about electrons
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Tape/Side
13/2-B
Time
0:00 to 2:50
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Resistance to electron concept--H. P. attended night school to learn new ideas
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Tape/Side
13/2-B
Time
2:51 to 7:30
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Hazardous work on utilities--daring behavior, bravado
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Tape/Side
13/2-B
Time
7:31 to 14:20
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Janesville Electric Company--more on apprentice work--work on Samson Tractor plant--H. P. preferred industrial work--the Samson tractor--the coming of Wisconsin Power and Light
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Tape/Side
13/2-B
Time
14:21 to 17:21
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Hazards of industrial electrical installation--development of regulations, little enforcement in early years
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Tape/Side
13/2-B
Time
17:22 to 22:30
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Further comments on Frank Albright--summer as off-season--some workers travelled, union development made that more difficult--Albright as small contractor, later joined union himself
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Tape/Side
13/2-B
Time
22:31 to 25:45
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H. P.'s early attitudes toward unions--only learned about labor unions by word of mouth, mostly negative comments
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Tape/Side
13/2-B
Time
25:46 to 27:00
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The strike of 1919 against Janesville Electric--the company hired strikebreakers
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1976 August 10
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Tape/Side
14/1-A
Time
0:00 to 0:15
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Introduction
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Tape/Side
14/1-A
Time
0:16 to 9:15
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Organization of Local 890 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers--early members--working conditions were the primary grievances--big contractors unionized--local contractors as anti-union
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Tape/Side
14/1-A
Time
9:16 to 12:55
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Janesville contractors hostile to union, fired workers who voiced support for unions
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Tape/Side
14/1-A
Time
12:56 to 17:05
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H. P.'s first contact with the union, asked by Frank Kelly not to work during strike--Kelly later got job at Samson Tractor for H. P.--the boomers, travelling workers with nationwide contacts
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Tape/Side
14/1-A
Time
17:06 to 22:00
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Union structure, three divisions within the IBEW, none within Local 890--factionalism within the IBEW, little impact on Janesville
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Tape/Side
14/1-A
Time
22:01 to 28:25
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More on H. P. joining union at age 16--initiation--attitude toward unionism--could still work in open shops--no written contracts--more on Samson Tractor job
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Tape/Side
14/1-A
Time
28:26 to 29:34
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Absence of safety precautions
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Tape/Side
14/1-B
Time
0:00 to 3:10
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Improvements in safety--H. P. as a union members
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Tape/Side
14/1-B
Time
3:11 to 7:35
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Leaders of Local 890--terms of verbal agreements--death benefit for IBEW members
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Tape/Side
14/1-B
Time
7:36 to 11:06
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Reasons for joining the unions--chance for big jobs, overtime pay--big jobs for H. P.
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Tape/Side
14/1-B
Time
11:07 to 11:47
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GM annual changeover as big job here
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Tape/Side
14/1-B
Time
11:48 to 19:08
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The strike of 1919, Janesville Electric used strikebreakers--community reaction--H. P. won nothing from that strike--Emmons, a union man, began an electrical shop as a result of 1919 strike
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Tape/Side
14/1-B
Time
19:08 to 26:43
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H. P. went back to Albright after strike--other unions in Janesville in 1919, also used only verbal agreements--meetings and activities of the Building Trades Council
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Tape/Side
14/1-B
Time
26:44 to 28:30
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Early meetings of Local 890--pleas for assistance from other unions
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Tape/Side
14/2-A
Time
0:00 to 0:10
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Introduction
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Tape/Side
14/2-A
Time
0:11 to 3:55
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Vague recollections of the Council on Industrial Relations--Allied Pipe Trades
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Tape/Side
14/2-A
Time
3:55 to 5:15
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Repairing street car motors
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Tape/Side
14/2-A
Time
5:16 to 9:46
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Local membership during the 1920s--no decline in local membership parallel to national IBEW decline during the 1920s--impact of the Depression--H. P. had steady work then, serviced radios
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Tape/Side
14/2-A
Time
9:47 to 18:27
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H. P.'s reaction to the 1937 sitdown strike at GM--story about merchant demanding cash--recollection of picketing Ringling Circus--Carl Bunce--arrangements regarding electrical work at GM
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Tape/Side
14/2-A
Time
18:28 to 21:50
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Reaction to the CIO--problem with UAW members moonlighting on electrical work--UAW seemed down on the AFL to H. P.--strained relations
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Tape/Side
14/2-A
Time
21:50 to 29:40
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Bill Kuhlow's concern for local building codes, safety concerns, lobbied with the city government to improve them--relations with Henry Traxler--H. P. with few recollections of Janesville politics
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Tape/Side
14/2-B
Time
0:00 to 3:42
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Early business agents, not reimbursed for time--union couldn't afford a full-time agent
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Tape/Side
14/2-B
Time
3:43 to 6:07
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H. P. as a member of the apprentice examining board, role of board
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Tape/Side
14/2-B
Time
6:08 to 10:53
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Impact of Rural Electrification Administration on Local 890--REA used a different method of wiring--most REA work done by open shop workers in Janesville
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Tape/Side
14/2-B
Time
10:54 to 14:32
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H. P.'s overall attitude toward his union membership--importance of apprentice program and of getting the big jobs
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Tape/Side
14/2-B
Time
14:33 to 16:43
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Disagreements on contracts--the IBEW pension system
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