Interview with Howard Parkhurst

Authors

Michael G. Hillard PhD, University of Southern MaineFollow

Files

Date of Interview

6-14-2001

Duration of Audio File

Audio File 1 -- 0:57:32; Audio File 2 -- 0:58:16; Audio File 3 -- 0:57:49; Audio File 4 -- 0:24:10

Interviewee

Howard Parkhurst

Age

Born approximately 1938, aged 63 at time of interview

Gender

Male

Description

Parkhurst worked in mills from 1960s-1990s. He began as a unskilled laborer in coal yard, later was trained as a pipe fitter and became a skilled maintenance worker. Parkhurst was also elected as a union leader in the Pipe fitters union at S.D. Warren.

Birth Place

Windham or Westbrook, Maine

Residence

Windham, Maine

Occupation/Work History

Pipefitter, laborer in coal yard, local union official

Role

Union

Mill or Principal Employer

S.D. Warren Company

Mill Location

Westbrook, Maine

Keywords

S.D. Warren-history, Scott Paper Company-history, unionization, U.S. labor relations-1960s to 1990s, paper mill work life

Comments

Colorful recollections of mill work life, lax treatment of workers in pre-union paternalism era, and unionization's benefits. Worked in the "coal hopper" in first years at mill, losing 25 pounds and working with an alcoholic who drank at work. Describes astonishing freedom of some workers to work very little for a full paycheck. Depicts widespread favoritism prior to unionization that mill's unions ended. Astute observations about later labor relations in mill through the 1990s.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Hillard, Michael G. PhD, "Interview with Howard Parkhurst" (2001). S.D. Warren Company. 49.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/sd-warren/49