Eula McGill talks about work conditions

Audio Transcript

Jacquelyn Hall
What were working conditions like there in comparison to your first job at Dwight Mills?

Eula McGill
Terrible!

Jacquelyn Hall
Worse?

Eula McGill
Yes, because the company wasn’t as good a company. They didn’t keep their places clean. But so far as supervisors, I have had no trouble with supervision. I have to say that, I just didn’t have any trouble per se with any personal clashes with the bosses, with my immediate supervisors.

Jacquelyn Hall
Your supervisor there was . . . very helpful to you.

Eula McGill
Yes.

Jacquelyn Hall
Why was that?

Eula McGill
I don’t know, he just took a liking to me some way or another. I never missed any time from work, and I was never late. I couldn’t miss no time. Some people did lay out; how they did it I don’t know, but I never lost a day from work. I had to be there because I needed to work; if you didn’t work you didn’t get paid, so I had to be there. I needed the money, what little I got.

Jacquelyn Hall
Did he treat you better than he did the other women?

Eula McGill
Well, he was a pretty nice fellow to everybody, but I would say that he did, by the fact of giving me the two dollars a week more—which he had to finagle and fix some way or another, because they never would have allowed it. I would say yes. I know when we started organizing he came down and said, “I understand that they’re trying to organize a union.” And I said, “Yes.” And he said, “I understand you’re on the organizing committee.” I said, “That’s right.” And he said, “Well, I just want to know why. Haven’t I always been good to you?” I said, “Well, you’ve done all for me that you can. My Dad always told me if I wanted a drink of water go to the head of the spring. I want to get to the man over you.” He just laughed and walked off, you know. So in our department he never tried to interfere; that’s all he ever said to me about my union activity. Except he came back one day (and there were a couple of black women that worked there—and they made less than we did; they paid them less).

Jacquelyn Hall
They did the same work?

Eula McGill
He laughed one day at me and said, “Hey, you going to get Rosa into the union?” And I said, “Yes, if she’ll join.” (She was one of the black women.) He said, “You going to call her sister?” I said, “Sure I’m going to call her sister; I work here with her, don’t I?” And he just went on; that’s the only thing he ever said to me.