Oral history interview with Julius Fry, August 19, 1974
Subtitle: interview E-0004, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Finger, William R., interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2006
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Textile workers; Labor unions; Officials and employees; Strikes and lockouts; Social conditions; Wages; Employees; Government policy; Organizing; World War, 1939-1945; Mansfield Mills; Textile Workers Organizing Committee; Textile Workers Union of America
Other titles: Interview E-0004, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Julius Fry, August 19, 1974; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Julius Fry was born in Lumberton, North Carolina, in 1912. In 1927, Fry left school to work as a weaver in the Mansfield Mill, Inc. He describes working there during the early years of the Great Depression and his growing awareness of the labor movement. Fry explains that his first knowledge of the labor movement came with his observation of the textile strike in Gastonia in 1929. His interest in labor activism intensified during the early years of the Great Depression when he faced shortened hours and wage cuts as a textile worker. Fry describes the reaction of workers to the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the rise of the New Deal. In particular, Fry emphasizes the role of the National Recovery Administration and the Wagner Act as especially pivotal moments that shaped his thoughts on labor activism. Likening these measures to "emancipation of the slaves," he increasingly advocated for workers rights. In 1937, he participated in the organization of a union in Lumberton, North Carolina. Fry describes in detail how the union was founded, the role of labor organizer Miles Horton in garnering support for the union, the support of North Carolina Senator Robert R. Reynolds, and the reaction of Mansfield Mill, Inc. In 1943, Fry left his job in the textile mill to work full-time for the Textile Workers Union of America. He explains his job as a contract negotiator between unions and employers and his interaction with the War Labor Board.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on May 21, 2008).

Interview participants: Julius Fry, interviewee; Bill Finger, interviewer.

Duration: 01:31:31.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Mike Millner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 171 kilobytes, 167 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series E, Labor, interview E-0004, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Joe Jaros. Original transcript: 46 p.

Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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