Friday, December 28, 2007

There Once Was A Union Maid


My father was a lifelong ILGWU member. In his 60 years of working he was a cutter, marker and grader, a union organizer, business agent and a pattern maker. I remember the ILGWU chorus singing this song at a graduation event when he became a organizer.
He only lasted a few years in the job because he felt it was too corrupt.
I resuscitated this old slide show from 2002 that had triangle shirtwaist images for the google video player. Images are bad, but the songs (2 versions) still rouse the spirit. You can download a better version here
Union Maid by Woody Guthrie
There once was a union maid, she never was afraid
Of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid.
She went to the union hall when a meeting it was called,
And when the Legion boys come 'round
She always stood her ground.

Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union, I'm sticking to the union.
Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union 'til the day I die.

This union maid was wise to the tricks of company spies,
She couldn't be fooled by a company stool, she'd always organize the guys.
She always got her way when she struck for better pay.
She'd show her card to the National Guard
And this is what she'd say

You gals who want to be free, just take a tip from me;
Get you a man who's a union man and join the ladies' auxiliary.
Married life ain't hard when you got a union card,
A union man has a happy life when he's got a union wife.

1 comment:

  1. This is a detailed article on "Wages and Regularity of Employment" in the Garment Industry-http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924000677645#page/n5/mode/2up and, of course the definitive early history of the ILGWU http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Garment-Workers-History-International/dp/B000OJZBOW/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282104809&sr=1-2

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