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Container
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Title
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Series: Glenn Swinbank
: 1514 Greenview Avenue, Janesville
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Session I, September 23, 1976
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
0:00 to 0:32
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Introduction, Mrs. Swinbank sat in on this session and occasionally contributed her comments
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
0:33 to 3:17
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Family background in New Diggings, southwestern Wisconsin--comments concerning grandparents--father a barber, mother a music teacher
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
3:18 to 4:28
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New Diggings rough--G. S. and John Carter who also became a leader in Local 121 at Chevrolet as members of first New Diggings high school class
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
4:29 to 7:00
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Family ethnic background--religious background, mother as primitive Methodist, father unaffiliated--father as Republican
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
7:00 to 14:40
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Schooling in New Diggings--ethnic groups in New Diggings--more on the town's rough character--high school years--recreation--G. S. aversion to mines--background on John Carter--slight knowledge of unions
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
14:41 to 16:57
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Swinbanks as middle class, little class consciousness--more on mines
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
16:58 to 22:24
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G. S. came to Janesville in 1928--others from New Diggings before, John Carter came before G. S.--easy to get GM job then--Chevrolet did not recruit
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
22:25 to 25:20
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Getting a job--stayed in rooming house, met wife there--the bull pen--hired by Clayton Orcutt, conversation with Orcutt
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Reel/Side
24/1-A
Time
25:21 to 29:03
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First job on fenders--second job--piece work system--old vacuum fuel system
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Reel/Side
24/1-B
Time
0:00 to 5:08
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Work on steering column and floorboard in 1929--no breaks--unpredictable hours--putting on tires as backbreaking job, with John Carter
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Reel/Side
24/1-B
Time
5:09 to 7:24
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Reaction to assembly line work
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Reel/Side
24/1-B
Time
7:25 to 11:31
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Backgrounds of workers--nearly half from Janesville and surrounding towns--many from northern Wisconsin--mixed ethnically
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Reel/Side
24/1-B
Time
11:32 to 17:27
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Fellow workers who later became active in the union--early knowledge of Elmer Yenney, Mark Egbert and other leaders of Local 121--little union talk prior to 1933--laid off railroad workers worked at Chevrolet, recommended union, John Kaufman, they later returned to railroad
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Reel/Side
24/1-B
Time
17:28 to 24:43
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Relations with foremen--Frank Shuler as tough production manager--plant managers as remote--Fitzpatrick as hard plant manager--G. S. had no desire to be foreman, refused opportunity--foremen as younger men
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Reel/Side
24/1-B
Time
24:44 to 28:14
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Attitude toward work, pride--pushed too hard by management--general resentment against work overload
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
0:00 to 0:10
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Introduction
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
0:11 to 3:29
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Attitude toward capitalism--GM not giant company at that time, understood need to establish company--savings system prior to 1933
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
3:30 to 5:22
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World Fair workers in 1933--no work for G. S. in 1933, plant closed, used savings
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
5:23 to 10:08
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G. S.'s political attitudes--voted for Hoover in 1928, confirmed Democrat thereafter--vague about AFL in early years--recollection of the GM Alliance--200 plus stayed in Chevrolet plant during the sitdown of 1937
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
10:09 to 11:04
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Little socializing among workers, no time
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
11:05 to 13:23
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First organizing efforts in Fisher plant--early organizers--G. S. succeeded John Kaufman as recording secretary
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
13:24 to 18:27
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Early meetings, topics of discussion--Elmer Yenney's father a railroad man in Iowa--Yenney and Joe Knipschield as effective speakers--G. S. as secretary
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
18:28 to 22:23
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Grievances--recollection of AFL federal local as first GM union in Janesville--switch to the CIO
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
22:24 to 27:02
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G. S.'s reasons for joining union, need for change--firings for soliciting union members in plant--Fisher workers pushed harder for union
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Reel/Side
24/2-A
Time
27:03 to 30:13
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Workers at 1933 World's Fair--Harry Johnson and Elmer Yenney as workers at the Fair in Chicago--impact of the National Industrial Relations Act--Fisher organizers assisted Chevrolet union members
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
0:00 to 1:15
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Early recruiters for Local 121--value of members in maintenance department
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
1:16 to 5:02
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Best organized departments--Joe Knipschield in paint department--outlying departments difficult to organize--GM homeowners
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
5:03 to 8:47
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Older men harder to organize--assembly line workers easy to organize--other factors made little difference
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
8:48 to 14:43
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Company reaction to early organizing efforts--Loyal or GM Alliance of anti-union workers, fizzled--G. S. persuaded Floyd Mabie, Alliance leader to join the union, picketed his house--no “roughhouse”--Alliance members
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
14:44 to 18:04
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Company espionage--Jimmy Hill as company spy in the maintenance department--Hill as a Pinkerton--effort to contact him in Chicago--local stool pigeons
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
18:05 to 19:45
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Firings of union members, Eddie Flood as the first--G. S. encounter with manager Shuler
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
19:46 to 24:10
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Community reaction to union--story about G. S. and a bill at Rayberg's store--Labor Day parade, G. S. got permit for first parade from Henry Traxler, company spied on parade
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Reel/Side
24/2-B
Time
24:11 to 27:56
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No supportive local politicians--Traxler as fair city manager--no support from churches--support from local merchants, City Meat Shop, grocery stores and taverns
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Session II, September 30, 1976
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Reel/Side
25/1-A
Time
0:00 to 0:25
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Introduction
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Reel/Side
25/1-A
Time
0:26 to 1:34
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Many people left New Diggings during the 1920s due to the closing of the mines
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Reel/Side
25/1-A
Time
1:35 to 6:47
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Sources of information on unions--influence of those who worked at the 1933 World's Fair--reliance on Elmer Yenney for information--the Gazette--the Capital Times--the public library
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Reel/Side
25/1-A
Time
6:48 to 13:18
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The sitdown strike of 1937--incident between Manager Fitzpatrick and Dick Wagner--Fitzpatrick, Sheriff Croake and the crowd in the plant lobby--Joe Knipschield stopping the railroad cars
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Reel/Side
25/1-A
Time
13:19 to 22:34
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Planning the strike--executive board meeting--relationship between Local 121 and the international--dues-paying membership--assistance from merchants--desire to avoid trouble--surge of new members after sitdown, Alliance ceased functioning
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Reel/Side
25/1-A
Time
22:35 to 28:35
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Strike vote in December, 1936--firings before strike--difficult to move around plant--opposition from strike from members timing of strike--Shuler's comments on morning of the strike
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Reel/Side
25/1-A
Time
28:36 to 31:11
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Local 121 and the international--activities after the sitdown
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Reel/Side
25/1-B
Time
0:00 to 1:15
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Attitude toward post-strike members--some strong members from the Alliance
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Reel/Side
25/1-B
Time
1:16 to 5:51
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Sheriff Croake's role, recommended that GM agree to shut down--parts department continued to operate during strike
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Reel/Side
25/1-B
Time
5:52 to 8:57
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Shuler firing people--actions of supervisors during the strike--bargaining committee to negotiate settlement
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Reel/Side
25/1-B
Time
8:58 to 12:23
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G. S.'s actions during the strike, after the shutdown, signing up new members--groups from outlying towns--activities at Local 121 office--bargaining committee
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Reel/Side
25/1-B
Time
12:24 to 18:00
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Comments on the agreement--management as somewhat more cooperative--Shuler stripped of right to hire and fire--strike as “make or break” effort
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Reel/Side
25/1-B
Time
18:01 to 24:01
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The button dispute--button day, later in 1937--community reaction to union--story about Local 121 buying old school near plant, company opposed, assistance from City Council and Henry Traxler
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Reel/Side
25/1-B
Time
24:01 to 27:37
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Comments on time study--Stanley Judd as time study man
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
0:00 to 0:10
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Introduction
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
0:11 to 10:00
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Wildcat strikes in 1937 after the “Big Strike”--general spirit of militancy--emergence of new leaders--working conditions issues--wildcats productive for union
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
10:01 to 15:35
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Transition from AFL to CIO--Yenney and Egbert as CIO supporters--reaction to Homer Martin, long-term support for him
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
15:35 to 19:30
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Recollection of Harold Lewis--Lewis an informer, according to G. S.
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
19:31 to 22:26
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Reaction to allegation of agreement between company and city not to hire black workers--G. S. attitude toward black workers
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
22:27 to 23:47
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G. S. during World War II, entered Army in 1942
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
23:47 to 27:07
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G. S. returned from Army just before 1945-46 strike--picket captain during that strike--positive attitude toward the strike
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Reel/Side
25/2-A
Time
27:07 to 29:47
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G. S. provides additional information on others who helped to organize Local 121--Elmer Yenney--Mark Egbert
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Reel/Side
25/2-B
Time
0:00 to 1:55
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Harry Johnson, militant after he was fired--Howard Johnson, Harry's brother
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Reel/Side
25/2-B
Time
1:56 to 8:36
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Joe Knipschield, influential in paint department--Gene Osmond, influenced people in his area of the assembly line--Bob Brennan, cab trim leader--Louie Prohuska--Ollie Radtke--Eddie Flood in the radiator area
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Reel/Side
25/2-B
Time
8:37 to 16:02
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Getting off the line into the desirable jobs--Kenny Scholl--Cliff Porter on the body line, brought Brennan into union, picketed Floyd Mabie's house--Waldo Luchsinger
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Reel/Side
25/2-B
Time
16:03 to 20:38
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Comments on the women's auxiliary--Mrs. Swinbank comments on auxiliary activities, the drill team and the chorus, the soup kitchens--Mrs. Swinbank's attitudes toward the union
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