Robert Davis on Efforts to Unionize the Shop in the 1960s-70s
Channel: Reher Center
Date: 16/12/2022

Robert Davis discusses an employee's effort to unionize the shop in the late 1960s and early 70s.

This interview with Robert E. Davis was conducted by the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History for the 2022 Sewing in Kingston exhibition.  
Interviews were conducted by Sarah Litvin, Sarah Gordon and Sydney Maresca between 2019 and 2022.
The Reher Center is a museum and cultural center that preserves and honors the legacy of Reher's Bakery and amplifies immigrant stories of the Hudson Valley, past and present. The Reher Center's mission is to foster belonging by engaging all people through culture, community, work, and bread.

Transcript:

BD = Bob Davis
SL = Sarah Litvin

Bob Davis: And it was somebody I hired. And he betrayed us. He became an instigator for the union. And it took several months of them trying to get in. And finally I remember it was around Christmas the vote was taken and they were defeated.
Sarah Litvin: Which union was it? Do you remember? 
BD: I think there is only one…I think it was the Amalgamated, there was only one clothing union. 
SL: What kinds of things were they…what was the conversation like? Did they have demands of some kind that you remember? 
BD: They promised the world. You know. Better wages, better working conditions. Actually we had the best working conditions, you know I mean. Standard stuff. Nothing unusual. We had a night shift in knitting, but not the rest of the mill. So it was…we had a washing operation where you take the rolls of cloth and wash them to soften them up because they had a lot of grease or whatever you want to call it, after knitting. So we had to make them acceptable to wear. So that was it. [Pause] But as I say, I can remember that that was at Christmas time because after they were defeated, I flew down to Florida where my family greeted me with applause, and that was the end of the union.