Title

Interview with Tommy Lestage 4 of 5

Authors

Michael G. Hillard PhD, University of Southern MaineFollow

Files

Date of Interview

8-2-2000

Duration of Audio File

Audio File 1 -- 01:03:18; Audio File 2 -- 01:03:30

Interviewee

Tommy Lestage

Age

Born 1960

Gender

Male

Description

Tommy Lestage was a long time militant labor activist and union leader at Westbrook mill. He recounts experience of working in paper mill in his various jobs - what it is like, safety problems and injuries, skills, and generally what happens while doing shiftwork and braving difficult conditions. Lestage recalls features of mill culture including practical jokes, manly relations among male workers, and varying experiences with supervisors and managers. As a low level union shop steward and later leader of the union, he has very detailed accounts of all aspects of union-company relations. The interview includes an extensive description of resistance by Local 1069 to Scott Paper's "Jointness" labor-management cooperation and work reorganization project (1988-1994), and participation in solidarity actions in support of paper mill workers on strike against International Paper Company in Jay, Maine in 1987-1988.

Residence

Westbrook, Maine

Occupation/Work History

President and officer of United Paperworkers International Union Local 1069, 1983-2003, pulp mill worker and later paper machine hand.

Role

Union

Mill or Principal Employer

S.D. Warren Company

Mill Location

Westbrook, Maine

Keywords

Paper mills - Maine, Sappi Paper - History, S.D.Warren - Maine, Paper Mills- Safety & Maintenance, Paper Mills - Injuries

Comments

Audio File 1 begins mid-sentence. Audio File 2 cuts off.

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 Tommy Lestage 4 of 5" (2000). S.D. Warren Company. 5.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/sd-warren/5