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Date of Interview

7-9-2002

Interviewee

Robert Burton

Age

74 at time of interview, born 1928, died 2014 age 86

Gender

Male

Birth Place

Gorham, New Hampshire

Residence

Westbrook, Maine from 1940s unto 2014.

Occupation/ Work History

S. D. Warren foreman / supervisor from 1944-1988. Moved up from shop floor foreman to director of scheduling for the entire mill.

Role

Management

Mill or Principal Employer

S. D. Warren

Mill Location

Westbrook, Maine 04092

Abstract

Burton worked for a few years as hourly worker, then spent most of his career as a foreman and supervisor at S.D. Warren from height of S.D. Warren days until era when Scott began layoffs and disrupted local management customs. A good interview to learn about how supervisors/managers did their work and issues they confronted. Burton gives a detailed description of how workers were "indulged" by top management, i.e., seldom fired or challenged in work effort and practices, and also how lower level managers were hurt and weakened by unionization.

Comments

Detailed discussion of sexual harassment, poorly handled by industrial relations department. Problems in 1980s of new outside managers not knowing the business, reassignment of foreman to areas where the foreman had no expertise and were unqualified. Describes life as a foreman and supervisor at S.D. Warren, and frustrations of his rank with union and higher management cutting out their decision making power.

Document Type

Interview

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
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