Oral History Interview with Tracy L. H. Burnett, November 15, 1994. Interview K-0088. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Tracy L. H. Burnett started working at the White Furniture Company in the late 1980s, moving from building skids for shipping furniture, to finishing pieces, to inspection. In this interview, he offers a few thoughts on the factory's closing, which did not bother him since his ambitions were guiding him elsewhere. When the factory closed, Burnett took advantage of a training program and, using his new skills, ran an arcade and a video store before opening an insurance agency. The training program is one example of how the factory owners made the plant closing as smooth as possible. Burnett notes that they also gave workers six months' notice and seemed to have honest reasons for their decision. As opposed to others on the same subject, this interview offers a different approach to what many interviewees remember as a community tragedy.
Excerpts
Shutting down an assembly line to enforce quality standards
Factory closing offers an opportunity for change
Hoping for wealth in order to distribute it
Belief that White Furniture Company handled its plant closing well
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Subjects
Furniture industry and trade--North Carolina
Furniture workers--North Carolina
White Furniture Company
North Carolina--Social conditions
Burnett, Tracy L. H., 1966-
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