Rose Martinez Oral History Interview
Streaming Media
Description
Rose Martinez worked at Levi Strauss Company in Albuquerque for 28 and a half years, starting in 1971. She started sewing pockets on men’s blue jeans. After six months, she moved up to Supervisor- Instructor and showed new workers how to sew “on the line” and in a piecework system. Martinez provides a detailed description of work life at Levi Strauss. She reflects on the importance of the company as it provided good paying jobs with benefits for many Albuquerque residents. Martinez worked until the factory closed in 1991 and noted the good severance packages and job training opportunities Levi Strauss offered to laid- off workers. Martinez also explains how the Union drive of ACTWU (Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union) raised awareness of safety on the job.
Publication Date
2-9-2018
Keywords
Levi Strauss Albuquerque, piecework, line work, NAFTA, carpal tunnel, ergonomics, severance package, safety, class action for age discrimination, job training, blue jeans, Ethicon, General Mills, South Valley
Disciplines
Labor History
Publisher
Digital Initiatives and Scholarly Communication, University Libraries, University of New Mexico
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Pinkey, Diane and Rose Martinez. "Rose Martinez Oral History Interview." (2018). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/wphnm/45
Comments
1920x1088; MP4; No institutional restrictions are placed on the use of this collection. Use of material is allowed for educational and research purposes. The University Libraries do not hold copyright.