Oral History Interview with Ivey C. Jones, January 18, 1994. Interview K-0101. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Ivey C. Jones took a job at the White Furniture Factory in Mebane, North Carolina, after high school and stayed there until new management closed the plant in 1993. In this interview, he recalls his sixteen years at the plant in a variety of positions, focusing on the period between the purchase of the factory by a competitor and the new owners' decision to shut it down. Jones's recollections emphasize an important change in one of the industries—in this case furniture—that have driven the economy of the North Carolina Piedmont for decades. The takeover of the White Furniture Factory brought a shift from a personal management style that responded to the needs of workers as community members to a more distant, profit-driven approach that put much greater stress on workers' economic contributions. Jones still resents this transition, which altered the atmosphere on the factory floor as demoralized employees, fearful for their jobs, struggled to meet escalating quotas. This interview highlights the fragility of the furniture industry by and the workers' struggle to maintain both their economic security and their humanity in a changing economic region.
Excerpts
The importance of the White Furniture Company in Mebane, North Carolina
New owners change the atmosphere at White's for the worse
New owners change the atmosphere at White's for the worse
Black workers have more opportunities after a buyout
New management treats workers poorly
Black workers have more opportunities after a buyout
Basic security of employment at White's precluded the urge to unionize
Frustration with the callous decision to close the White Furniture Factory
Fears mount in the final days on the job at a closing plant
No gender discrimination at the White Furniture Factory
Previous factory owner's personal style is not replicated by the new ownership
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Subjects
Furniture industry and trade--North Carolina
Furniture workers--North Carolina
White Furniture Company
North Carolina--Social conditions
Jones, Ivey C.
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