Communism served a powerful role in harming organized worker activity
Again, Anderson returns to the discussion about Communism. Anderson explains the potency Communism had for labor unions in destroying workers' organization efforts in mill strikes in Gastonia, North Carolina, and Marion, Virginia.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Eleanor Copenhaver Anderson, November 5, 1974. Interview G-0005. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- MARY FREDERICKSON:
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Do you think that the presence of the communists in Gastonia, which is
the best example, was a help to the workers or did it actually hinder
them because of the fear and the hatred that it engendered?
- ELEANOR COPENHAVER ANDERSON:
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I think it hindered a successful outcome of the strike, but I don't know
what did happen. That strike was regarded as a failure, wasn't it?
- MARY FREDERICKSON:
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Uhhuh. In fact that mill still isn't organized, to this day.
- ELEANOR COPENHAVER ANDERSON:
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Yes, but I'm vague on the period. So many strikes of that period, they
would say it was communist. After we were married they had a strike in
Marion with a clothing factory who are in the ILGWU. And Sherwood got
all the merchants to put up signs in the window - "We
favor the Marion Strikers." And they did.
Everybody did it. I guess it was ridiculous. Anyway, it worked. But then
someone came along from the outside and said that's communist. I know
there were no communists in that strike. And incidentally, it isn't
organized yet. The furniture factories around are, but this clothing
plant it is hooked up with that famous, you know, in the southwest. .
.
- MARY FREDERICKSON:
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Farah.
- ELEANOR COPENHAVER ANDERSON:
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Yes.