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Oral History Interview with Jefferson M. Robinette, July 1977. Interview H-0041. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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  • Abstract
    Jefferson Robinette started mill work at the age of twelve in Charlotte, North Carolina, and spent his working life moving between the area's textile mills and furniture factories, and eventually settling into a job at a dairy. In this interview, Robinette recalls these experiences, offering plenty of detail but little reflection. Robinette worked hard to raise four children and care for his wife, but he never pursued wealth and seemed to accept what was offered by his employers. As a result, he never joined a union and worked well into his old age, retiring from his dairy job at the age of eighty-three.
    Excerpts
  • Losing a job at a textile mill
  • A 1934 strike turns violent
  • Belief in unions, but only when managed well
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  • Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
  • Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
  • Subjects
  • Textile workers--North Carolina
  • Strikes and lockouts--Textile industry
  • Charlotte (N.C.)--Social life and customs
  • The Southern Oral History Program transcripts presented here on Documenting the American South undergo an editorial process to remove transcription errors. Texts may differ from the original transcripts held by the Southern Historical Collection.

    Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.