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Mary Robertson entered the union movement as part of a colonization scheme: the Food and Tobacco Workers Union enlisted her to find work at a tobacco company in Asheville, North Carolina, and convince workers there to join the organization. A career in organization followed, with Robertson weathering blacklisting and a subpoena from the House Un-American Activities Committee to secure a position of power within the Central Labor Union, a centralized network of unions in western North Carolina. In this interview, Robertson offers a history of unionization in the region, drawing connections between regional character and union membership; revealing union strategies for recruiting members; and discussing the role of women in organized labor and southern society. She concludes the interview by describing some of the strategies union leaders are using in the region to create conditions for increased organization. This interview will prove a rich resource for researchers interested in the role of unions in western North Carolina.

Unions and race at a R.J. Reynolds tobacco plant

White tobacco workers resist unionization

White Appalachians learn racism over time

Working for civil rights in Asheville, North Carolina

Being labeled a Communist limits an activist's effectiveness

Tensions within the organized labor movement

The Central Labor Union's control over its membership

Lack of female leadership in unions and full female participation in the economy

Appalachian women embrace gender roles despite their strength

Optimism about the future of the labor movement in western North Carolina

Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection

Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews

Appalachian Region, Southern--Social life and customs

Women in trade-unions--Southern States