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Owen, Mildred (audio interview #2 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is second of three interviews conducted with Mildren Owen in her trailer home in the desert community of Yucaipa, California. As previously, she seemed to enjoy the interview experience and particularly the company of the interviewer. Owen's anecdotal style lent itself well to the interview process. However, her propensity to move from one episode of her life to another, which paralleled her peripatetic life pattern, made it difficult to construct a clear sense of chronology. 6/11/1980
- Date
- 2021-07-26
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- Notes
- *** File: rrrmowen5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:02-3:08)... Owen worked at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard for one year before moving to California in 1942. She and her children lived in a tent in Arlington near Riverside, California until she decided to return to Massachusetts a year later because she was unable to find adequate housing. (3:08-6:46)... Owen learned about job opportunities at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard through word-of-mouth and newspaper advertisements. Her boss told her to keep quiet about her age (forty) because the company was interested only in hiring women younger than twenty-five. She was assigned to work as a welder's marker. The men harassed the women and Owen boss walked the ladies out of the building each night to avoid any confrontations. When she started working in the shipyard, she got into an argument with a male welder who purposefully tried to misguide her so that she would make a mistake. She says that "the fellows resented the girls working there [because] they found out that the women did a better job welding than the men." The foreman of the men's crew attempted to persuade Owen boss to allow her transfer into his crew because she could stand up to the men. (6:46-9:53)... When Owen was hired at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, she was initially placed on the day shift. Later, she requested the graveyard shift so that she could be home when her children got out of school. When she worked days, she walked to work from her home in East Weymouth, but after she transferred to the graveyard shift, her landlord drove her to work. She was among the first group of women hired at the shipyard. She went through a training program to learn how to weld before she started working in the field as a welder's marker. She was eventually offered a welding position on the ships, but she turned it down and took the job of restroom matron. In this job, she also began selling coffee and donuts to the employees at the shipyard. (9:53-11:14)... Owen went through a two-week training program before she started working in the shipyard. She also received on-the-job training. She describes her responsibilities as a welder's marker. (11:14-12:44)... During the winter months, Owen had to bundle herself up with clothes because it was so cold in the building. She had never worn pants before she went to work at the shipyard and was not comfortable in them. Whenever there was a dance at the shipyard, she brought a dress to work and changed after her shift. Her co-workers barely recognized her because she looked so small compared to her big, bulky appearance when dressed in work attire. (12:44-13:39)... Owen recounts slipping and falling after stepping in a man's spit. She complained about this to her shop steward, and a meeting was held where the men were told not to spit in their surroundings because they were working among women. (13:39-14:40)... Besides pants, Owen work attire consisted of steel-toed shoes and a hat. She had to wear goggles while welding. She recalls the time she was taken to the hospital when a woman dropped some paint and it splashed into Owen eyes. (14:40-15:39)... Owen could not recall her wages at the shipyard. Women were paid less than men for the same type of work even though "women did a better job than the men." (15:39-17:11)... Owen started on the day shift at Bethlehem Steel in September 1942, and transferred to the graveyard shift one or two months later. Although her mother provided child care when it was necessary, her boys were able to take care of themselves until she returned home in the evenings. She switched to the graveyard shift so that she could be home when her children returned from school. By the time she went to work in the evenings they were already in bed for the night. (17:11-17:42)... Although Owen did not initially believe in unions and did not join the union at Bethlehem Steel, she did join the union after she went to work at North American in California. (17:42-19:42)... Owen felt very uncomfortable the first day she walked into the shipyard because the men were lined up watching the women as they came into the building. Although they initially made negative comments to the women about their presence in the shipyard, when they realized that women were doing a good job they calmed down. Owen believes that the men were jealous of women's ability to do the job well. Welding was a new skill for Owen and she enjoyed the work. Her supervisor told her that she was a good welder. (19:42-20:51)... Owen was older than most of her women co-workers. The company soon realized that they could depend on the older women; the younger women's priority seemed to be flirting with the men. Owen occasionally came across couples trying to find some privacy in the dark areas of the building. When women first starting coming into the shipyards, the men made a lot of passes at them. Things calmed down after the men were told to leave the women alone and to concentrate on their jobs. (20:51-22:12)... Owen describes her responsibilities as a welder's marker, a job in which few women were placed. She didn't want to work out on the ships, where most of the women worked. She felt that there were too many men out there and also that the working conditions were dangerous. Most of her work took place on the ground floor. (22:12-22:50)... Owen does not recall any special services for women at the shipyard. Men and women worked together "because we were doing a man's job and we were there to help, so we had to work with the men." (22:50-24:19)... Other than the time she worked with tools and machinery at the leatherette factory, Owen had very few mechanical skills prior to going to work at the shipyard. She eventually went from a welder's marker to a welder. She liked that line of work and her boss complimented her skills as a welder. (24:19-26:41)... Owen worked an eight-hour shift and was rarely asked to work overtime. She was making more money at the shipyard than she had in any of her previous jobs. Her earnings covered her living expenses and were just enough to get her through to the next pay period. Compared to her experiences during WWI, she did not have any problems with food rationing during WWII. End of tape. *** File: rrrmowen6.mp3 (0:03-1:43)... Owen describes what a typical day was like when worked the graveyard shift at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard. She rarely had time for social activities because of her work schedule, and whenever she had a night off she usually stayed home or took her children to the movies. She did not date during this period. Occasionally, Bethlehem Steel organized company dances for the employees, but she recalls attending only once. (1:43-5:01)... A few months after she started at the shipyard, she was given a choice to work as a ship welder or a restroom matron. She accepted the matron assignment because it was cleaner and "I did not have to worry about the men." Her responsibilities included cleaning the restrooms and monitoring the facilities so that women did not hang around longer than their allotted rest period. She also sold coffee and donuts. Women often came to her with their problems and asked her for advice. She made many friends in this job, but she did not do socialize with her co-workers outside of work. Even though she got along with all of the women she encountered, she thought the younger ones acted superior to everyone else. She worked as a restroom matron until 1943, at which time she left Bethlehem Steel and moved to California. (5:01-9:05)... At the request of the women and with her boss's permission, Owen began selling coffee and donuts to women while she was employed as a restroom matron. One of her co-workers donated a coffee pot and coffee rations and Owen purchased the donuts. She earned more money in this venture than her hourly wage at the shipyard. She describes the women's restroom, explaining that she sold the coffee and donuts to women as they entered the rest area of the bathroom. (9:05-13:01)... Orwin decided to move to California in January 1943. She traveled by bus with her children and when they arrived, they moved in with her brother. When his landlord complained, she moved to Arlington and got a job in the laundry department at Camp Anza, where Italian prisoners of war were being held. Her pay there was roughly the same as at the shipyard in Massachusetts. During this time, she fell victim to a land scheme that resulted in her losing $500. (13:01-19:26)... At Camp Anza, Owen and her children lived in a tent in a civilian housing area within walking distance of the barracks. She describes her living conditions and the tent facilities. Her children loved their surroundings and were constantly bringing home new animals. After a year, with no hope of finding a home, Owen went back to Massachusetts and was re-hired as a welder at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard. In the spring of 1944, she returned to California with her children and she got a job at North American. They moved into an apartment house located on Vermont in Torrance. (19:26-21:38)... Owen talks about his children and how she managed child care during the time she worked at Camp Anza. Her children attended school during the day and she worked the night shift until midnight. (21:38-22:47)... Owen learned about job opportunities at North American through her brother who was already employed there. She applied at the plant and was given a thorough physical examination. End of tape. *** File: rrrmowen7.mp3 (0:02-3:48)... Owen talks about the hiring process at North American. In addition to her brother, she had a connection at the plant with a man whose movie star wife had corresponded with Owen and her son when he was in the hospital. After Owen passed her physical examination, she was assigned to a department. She had two job assignments during the years she worked at North American: forming and buffing windows, windshields, and helmets and her working with fiberglass canopies. (3:48-7:34)... Owen received on-the-job training from a very helpful supervisor. She describes her initial impressions of the plant. Each area was assigned to a specific part of the airplane and the assembly line moved from one station to the next on a conveyor belt. Whenever a finished plane was launched, the pilot visited her before he took the test flight. She recalls an occasion when everyone in the plant was invited to watch a specific plane take off. Owen told the pilot that she had a feeling the plane was not going to fly and sure enough, it did not take off and the pilot had to bail out when the plane caught fire. (7:34-10:55)... Talking about her work at North American, Owen notes that many of the parts she worked on were for the various bombers produced at the plant. She used a machine saw to cut the parts and a buffer and a sander to shape and shine them. She believes that the company also manufactured a bomb, but the production on that project was top secret. The plant was patrolled by security guards, some of whom walked around undetected because they wore plain clothes. (10:55-12:52)... When she was hired at North American, Owen was placed on the day shift. After she punched in, she went to her department and readied her work station. Two whistles blew to let people know that their shift had begun. Unless supervisors made specific requests for special orders, everyone knew what they had to work on at the start of their shift. She was never pressured to get the work done in a certain time frame. However, she was told that she too conscientious and to slow down because others could not keep up with her pace. (12:52-14:01)... Owen shows the interviewer a photograph of seven women she worked with at North American. She believes that there were at least ten or fifteen women in her department. She did not see any women employed in supervisory positions at the plant. (14:01-16:06)... The relationship between employees at North American was friendly. The men were helpful towards the women whenever they needed assistance. She was not aware of any women who were physically or verbally harassed by male workers, nor was she aware of sexual liaisons. Most of her co-workers were married and some husbands and wives worked together. (16:06-17:00)... Owen believes that she earned approximately $60 or $70/week at North American. This was the highest-paying job she ever had. She never worked overtime and doesn't think that most people were not required to work overtime during the war. (17:00-25:53)... Even though Owen was anti-union when she worked at Bethlehem Steel, she joined the CIO after she was hired at North American. She worked, informally, as a union organizer bringing in 250 new members. Eventually, she became a shop steward. She discusses her attitudes towards the union as well as her organizing techniques. She left the union when she learned that communists were infiltrating the organization. She recounts an experience of the FBI questioning her and accusing her of committing a crime in Chicago. It was later determined that a Black woman bearing Owen name was who the woman the FBI was seeking. Although the union normally intervened when they felt employees were wrongfully terminated, there were no efforts made by the union to stem the tide of the postwar layoffs. (25:53-27:21)... Except for a Black man in Owen department, she cannot recall ever seeing any other Black or Latino/a workers at North American. End of tape. *** File: rrrmowen8.mp3 (0:03-0:51)... North American published a company newspaper on a monthly basis, which she believes reported on employee activities and shop-related news. (0:51-2:22)... She cannot recall the company services that were available to employees at North American. She discusses the eating facilities at the plant. She only remembers a couple of occasions when entertainers performed during her lunch hour. (2:22-2:48)... Owen went to work with her brother in his car and does not recall that they had any problems with gas rationing. (2:48-3:07)... Owen does not recall any Women's Counselors at North American. (3:07-3:47)... Owen describes the temperature in the plant at North American. (3:47-4:55)... There were safety warnings and safety guards on certain machines in the plant. She does not recall the plant being particularly noisy in contrast to Bethlehem Steel. (4:55-6:30)... Owen befriended many of her co-workers, but did not socialize with them outside of work. She spent all of her free time with her children, taking them to the beach or to the movies. She did housework in the evenings or on Saturdays. Her children went to school during the day while she was at work and took care of themselves after school. One of her neighbors looked out for them when she was not around. (6:30-7:26)... Owen was accustomed to physically strenuous work and did not find her responsibilities at North American particularly taxing. She occasionally got tired standing on her feet all day, but she did sit down on occasion. When asked how she felt about her job, she stated, "I liked it. It was something different and I really enjoyed it." (7:26-11:33)... Owen discusses how the war personally affected her, noting that she worried about her brother who was serving in the Navy. The plant was not camouflaged because of its size, but she never worried that the states would be attacked by the enemy. The war did not impact her job performance though occasionally her supervisor talked about the importance of getting parts out during the war. In addition to working at North American, she contributed to the war effort by purchasing war bonds. (11:33-15:52)... Owen expected that she would lose her job at North American when the war ended. Even though men were laid off after the war, she recalls that it was mainly the women who were terminated. There is some confusion as to whether or not she was laid off in 1945. She explains that she worked at North American from 1944-49, at which time she was laid off. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Mildred Owen began working at North American Aircraft in 1943, and remained there for two years until she was laid off. The first of eleven children, born in Boston, Owen began working after she completed the ninth or tenth grades, first in a leatherette factory and then a munitions factory. Starting in 1920, with the exception of one year when she worked at a box factory, she worked as a waitress on the hotel/restaurant circuit for the next nine years. This is how she met her husband, who worked as a waiter, who she divorced in 1943. After Owen married, and for the next five years during which her three sons were born, she worked as a domestic. Then, during the Depression, and until she went to work in a shipyard in Massachusetts in 1942, she remained home and received relief payments. Following her job at North American, Owen worked at various chains of the Fred Harvey restaurants in California, returning to Massachusetts in 1951, where she worked at various odd jobs and cared for her ailing mother. At her son's suggestion, she returned to southern California in the mid-1970s. She was enthusiastic about the Rosie the Riveter Revisited project and remained in contact with both the interviewer and project director inquiring about the progress of the project. TOPICS - overall work history during WWII; living conditions in California; hiring process at Bethlehem Steel in Massachusetts; job training; responsibilities as welder's marker; hours; wages; gender relations; men's attitudaily routine and schedule during Bethlehem Steel employment; social life; work as restroom matron; selling coffee and donuts at the shipyard; move to California; work in laundry department at Camp Anza; housing anapplication process at North American; description of plant; work responsibilities; tools; plant security; gender relations; hours; wages; union activities; and minorities in the plant; The audio quality of this incompany newspaper; eating facilities at the plant; working conditions; safety features; managing home and work responsibilities; children; social life; and postwar layoffs; The audio quality of this interview is f
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