Discomfort with unions
Elmore explains his own lack of interest in joining a union. He reveals not only that he suspects their motives, but also a discomfort with so-called outsiders attempting to influence southern affairs.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with George R. Elmore, March 11, 1976. Interview H-0266. 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
- BRENT GLASS:
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I know a lot of these mills do end up having some trouble. What do you
attribute it to: just the hard life of working in the mills?
- GEORGE R. ELMORE:
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Well, it depends on whoever has come in there and stirred them up.
- BRENT GLASS:
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It's not from within, though?
- GEORGE R. ELMORE:
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Well, some of those organizers are pretty good salesmen. But
I've listened to some of them. I don't know,
I've always kind of felt like they were out for the dues that
they could get out of the people more than they were to help them. I may
be wrong there. Those people needed help, I've always said,
and I sympathize with them. But I didn't want to see that
outside crowd come in there and taking dues from them that basically
didn't give a damn about the good will of the people. Now
there's too much of that labor organization; and we see it
all when you get on higher, to Hoffa and all that crowd, these pension
funds. I was always in favor of labor. But the management of it, and the
people's taking advantage of the poor working man, I
can't go along with the organization.
