Interview with Ron Usher

Interview with Ron Usher

Files

Download Interview with Ron Usher - Audio File 1 (68.5 MB)

Download Interview with Ron Usher - Audio File 2 (68.6 MB)

Download Interview with Ron Usher Transcript (23 KB)

Loading...

Media is loading
 

Date of Interview

8-2-2001

Duration of Audio File

Audio File 1 -- 01:14:49; Audio File 2 -- 01:14:55

Interviewee

Ron Usher

Age

Born approximately 1939, 62 at time of interview

Gender

Male

Description

Usher was a rank and file worker and a son of an S.D. Warren worker. He worked at mill from 1960 into the 2000s. Usher participated in union organizing at mill in 1960s, and was recruited by leaders of United Paper Workers International Union (UPIU) Local 1069 to run (successfully) for Maine State Legislature.

Birth Place

Westbrook, Maine

Residence

Westbrook and Buxton, Maine

Occupation/Work History

Paper mill worker, paper machine hand, local union official, Maine State Legislature representative

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, union organizing, Democratic Politics, paper mill work life

Comments

Trenchant observations on a variety of topics and recollections of key experiences at mill. Had severe hand injury in 1960s and was put right back to work; describes rampant favoritism in the mill before it unionized; active in 1967 campaign to organize union; describes how Local 1069 transformed Westbrook from a Republican to a Democratic City after unionization. Represented labor union positions in legislature over a long career.

Creative Commons License

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

Interview with Ron Usher


Share

Item Location

 
COinS