Fugett: How did you know, when you were in Mexico, to come to Bethlehem Steel? I m curious about that.

Transcription

1 This is an interview with Ceferino L. Orta for In the Age of Steel: Oral Histories from Bethlehem Pennsylvania. The interview was conducted by John Fugett on April 22, 1975 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 00:00:05 Fugett: at 826 Laufer Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on April 22, I m Jack Fugett. We could start by how did you come to work for Bethlehem Steel? Well, I come down in 1926, in June. I show you. June 1926 I come down to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, from Mexico City, Mexico City, and I started working Bethlehem Steel in July in 1926, and I work forty years (inaudible). I work in different departments, you know. I work in labor gang 1, and I work in two years I work in different places, labor gang and foundry 2, and then 1928 I started working in cold-rolled department 3 till 1965, 66 [1966], I mean, because my birthday is August 26, 1901, see. And I worked about forty years in the plant. 00:02:09 00:04:22 In 1966, I take my pension for the cold-rolled department. My boss, he not want to give me my pension. He tried to hold me because I had a good record in my shop. I was a good worker. My boss tried to hold me. He called me in the office and he say he called me Sticks. He says, Sticks, why you want to quit? I said, Because I 65 now. I feel health, strong man. He says, Well, that s why I want to try to hold you. I don t want any taking my pension when I was maybe later I (inaudible) sick or something like that, you have to take for to the hospital. I got the time in. He said, Well, in one way you right. My superintendent 4, Zigfeld, Charles Zigfeld (sp?), 5 he said, Well, Sticks, congratulations. You re taking your pension, and I like keeping you (inaudible) over here, keep you over here because you got a good record. The company like to keep you over here. Because I know why he try keeping me over here, because I have too much experience in the (inaudible) area. I was a pickler 6, see. (inaudible) person, nobody do the way I do my job, see, and that s why they trained me foreman 7. I quit when I was sixty-six. I take my pension. Fugett: How did you know, when you were in Mexico, to come to Bethlehem Steel? I m curious about that. Because I come down over here to Bethlehem because about two months before I come down, my mother and my sister and my brother, my little brother, they come down to Bethlehem, because my big sister, two years older than me, she was 1 Responsible for performing all general labor duties throughout the plant. 2 A workshop or factory for casting metal. 3 Department responsible for reducing the thickness of steel in a process that also changes the steel's chemical properties. 4 A person in management charged with overseeing or directing an organization. 5 Project staff were unable to identify this person. 6 Operates a plunger type pickling unit in pickling the sheet product. 7 A workman who supervises a group of workers, especially in a factory. 1

2 married for long time and they lived over here in Bethlehem. And my mother come down over here and I tried to find my mother. She come down over here, see because my mother, she was separated for my father. We lived together, my mother, I, my wife, and my sister and my brother. The three come down to the United States. I say, I come with my wife. I never figured out come down over here United States, live over here the rest of my life. I never figured that. Well, (inaudible), see. It s what I believe in. Fugett: How did your big sister know to come to Bethlehem? They write letter for me. My small brother, he work in the steel work, and my sister work in a cigar factory, was over here in Bethlehem, South Bethlehem [Pennsylvania]. And my brother, he sent me letter, You want to come down over here to United States? And I tell my wife, I ask my wife, You want to come down? And she says, Yes. Why? I write for my brother, said, Yes, I want to go to the United States. And my brother take a loan from the National Bank. He sent me the tickets, he sent some loan money, cash money, and I come down to United States. When I started work over here, I started my tickets and the money (inaudible). 00:06:59 Fugett: What was Bethlehem like back then? 00:09:06 Well, Bethlehem, it was, at that time, you know, is too much different now, because before, the workmen had to work hard, not like now. Everything, especially when you go on a labor gang, they have to make a (inaudible) and they make a (inaudible). Now it s too much different, see. We worked 10 hours a lot of time. The 10 hours, you no take lunch, you no take coffee like now. See coffee pot every place you go, you eat lunch, take lunch anytime you want. Before, the bosses, the foremens, he watch. Sometimes I see, one time, some man take lunch and he start to eat, and the general foreman come down, come down in the hallway, make some detour there, you know. Hey, you. He grabbed the lunch, he throw it on the floor (inaudible). Go to work. That s the way it was before, see. You lunch when the whistle blow, 12 o clock. Now it s up to the I tell you, when Roosevelt, 1934, 33 [1933], he win the election, new President, everything change. Eight hours work. You no work hard like before. Everything changing after Roosevelt 8. You no have a union, too, in the company til Fugett: How much of a difference did the union make? 8 He was the 32nd president of the United States who served from and was known for his socially progressive politics. 2

3 Well, too much difference, see, because you go for vote election, secret vote, see, and the union, the company recognized to the union and they (inaudible), see. And they got more protection. The workmen got more protection. (inaudible) I want to tell you something, see. The company needed producing. The workmen, they had to work too. See, now the young fellows, they no produce like the old men before, years back. You know what I mean? And I believe the union and the company get to go together, you know, because I think it s the best for the workmens. That s what I believe. 00:10:28 Fugett: Where did you live when you first came to Bethlehem? I lived in East 3rd Street [Bethlehem, Pennsylvania], where I live with my sister and my mother, right in front of what s the number, Mom, where we live? The barbershop where my brother because my brother had a barbershop on East 3rd Street. I think it was about five or six block. I think maybe it was 600 block East 3rd Street, what is now the employment office. Down the block, it was an old house, but it s now the employment office right from the (inaudible) department. Before it was (inaudible) department, now it s People s Bank, no? Fugett: I think so. It probably was (inaudible) Bank a long time ago. Fugett: Did you live in a Mexican neighborhood? 00:11:55 No, I never lived in I never lived in coke works 9, big (inaudible), you know, because when I come down in 1926, he told me (inaudible) Mexican people come down in this town in , come down, company, it send its own men. They met. The name Pedro Gonzales 10. He s the guy, you go to San Antonio or Laredo [Texas], and he contract, I think about three or four hundred mens, bring them down, because at the time they needed mens over here in the company, and they bring up a special train to San Antonio, Texas, and Laredo (inaudible), in I come down over here three years after that. 00:13:06 Fugett: Did you ever notice anybody treating you any different because you were Mexican? No. I no have a discrimination for me well (inaudible) some, over here in Bethlehem, you know, because it gave a lot of Mexican people the American people they live over here, you see little difference, you know, the people, you know, but we no have a discrimination. 9 A collection of ovens used for the conversion of coal into coke by heating the coal in the absence of air so as to distill the volatile ingredients. [link] 10 Project staff were unable to identify this person. 3

4 00:13:43 Fugett: How was it working during the Depression in the 1930s? Depression time, I live over here on 7th Street [Bethlehem, Pennsylvania], 700 block 7th Street, and I work it was 1932, when it was the Depression time. I worked one day or two days a week, six hours. You put six hours. Everybody work in the (inaudible) six hours, because no check, see. I have a help relief (?) because another time I have a got three kids, and he helped me. Sometime I have to go to work to the what you call it? Salvation Army 11 or different place, you know, in the city, to help a little bit, you know. He pay for I work in the city, Salvation Army. He give us some after the work, give some cans of food. In 1938, when I started working at (inaudible), I got a good job. The boss, he liked me. I had my general foreman, (inaudible) foreman. My superintendent, first superintendent, it was Harry Keefer (sp?). (Inaudible) and everybody liked me. Everybody liked me because I was good work and I talk nice for everybody. The helpers I having over here, sometime come down, sleep all day, and no want to work, go someplace, look for some place to sleep over there, but there was nosee you. I do your job. See, I try to help everybody, see. That s why everybody like me. 00:16:12 00:17:39 I tell you the truth, (inaudible) four kids, two girls and two boys. One boy is the two, he was one was in the Navy, was in the Marines. The guy was in the Navy was same name like me, but everybody, he called Chippie (sp?), because when he played with the kids together, it s too hard to call Ceferino, Ceferino, see. He call Chippie. He work in the A&P 12 store. Chippie, after the four years in the Navy, he go to college. The government, he pay three years and I pay one. He was in business administration at Moravian College 13. Now he work in a Mack company 14. I try to do what I can for my children, try to give good education, school, everything, you know, (inaudible) better life than what I have, see. Fugett: Did you ever think about going back to Mexico? I want to go to Mexico, I have four children and twenty grandchildren. I told my wife at one time for fun, you know, I said, Well, what are you going to do after taking my pension? Go to Mexico and live over there? She said, You go yourself. I stay here. (laughs) Because I have my children over here and my grandchildrens in Mexico (inaudible) parents. Why I go to Mexico? Maybe I go for vacation, you know. See, I was three times already. The first time we came, 13 weeks 11 Founded in 1865, this is a charity organization based upon Christian charitable principles. 12 The Atlantic and Pacific (A&P) grocery was established in In 1869 the stores were renamed to the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. 13 This private four year college is located in Bethlehem, PA. 14 Possibly referring to Mack Printing Company located on Northampton Street in Easton, PA, or Mack Truck in Macungie, PA. 4

5 vacation, I go to Mexico in In 64 [1964]I go for two weeks. In 68 [1968] I was two, three times I went. It s for visit to see I have nephews, that s all, because my big brother, he died. My father, he died in Mexico. See, that s all I have, parents, nephews. My wife, you know her family s in Mexico (inaudible) when (inaudible) little girl, his mother and father, he dies. That s why I say, why I go to Mexico? Fugett: Did you ever think about working somewhere else, switching jobs? Who, me? Fugett: Yes. 00:19:23 Well, I was the president for the Mexican Society for 1947 to 1958 or 60 [1960]. I believe to 60 [1960]. I was out and they elected me again, and I now the Vice President for the Mexican Society, Aztec Mexican Society 15. I try to help. This is for the Catholic Holy Names, see. (pause) See, I the Vice President now for last year and this year, for the Mexican Society. Fugett: What kind of stuff does the Society do? It s a benefit society. You pay three dollars for initiation and after three dollar a month. In case the (inaudible) sick, the Society pay eight dollars a week for ten weeks. Fugett: Does it do anything else? That s all. I work, like this morning, last year I worked all year cleaning up every week for nothing, free, because when I do something, is better for my body. I feel better. Too much rest, no good. See, I 73 now. Next August I m going to be 74. I look sick. In February I catch a flu, bad one. I never was sick like February. Catch a flu. I think I really was (inaudible), got (inaudible). 00:22:56 Fugett: Did you notice any difference? How much difference was there between 1966, when you retired, and 1927, when you began? It was too much different now. 15 A benefit organization based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania dedicated to helping Mexican immigrants form a community to help with cultural adjustment. 5

6 Fugett: Like what? 00:25:31 Especial the workmen. You no work like before, Oh, it s too much different. See, the company, the workmen, they produce. Like now, and that s why this country was richer (inaudible) country like now, because everybody, everything, every big evolution and all over, see. Before, you have a lot of people coming (inaudible), the Polish (?), Hungarian, all different nationality, Italian, good workers. The Mexican people, they got a good record over here. Good work. I see when comes some Mexican employment office, some Mexican, he make application for work, he take it right away, because he know he s a good worker. Like before, you see the young fellows now, especial a guy say no, he no going to college, (inaudible) school, school, you know, he look for (inaudible). You don t want to produce, you don t want to work. It s too much different now. Yeh, I tell you, before we worked too hard and we had to produce, not fool around before. The company, it make good money now. Everybody make good money. Before, when I started working, you know how much I make? Thirty-seven cents an hour. Three-seventy a day. That s all we made in 10 hours. Thirty-seven cents an hour. One time you give me laid off, the first time you give me laid off in September. I worked June, July, and August, and September, give me laid off. Fugett: What year, do you remember? And I got to work to Palmerton [Pennsylvania], (inaudible), big company, Palmerton, make same company. (inaudible), same company, it was in Palmerton. I work one month, that s all, because my wife and everybody stay here (inaudible), and I come back again, (inaudible) started work over here. Everybody they called back and I started work again in November. November. Yeh, I worked one month, that s all in Palmerton. In Palmerton it pay by the time I work in the track (truck?), 39 cents. They paid two cents more what they paid over here in Bethlehem. (Inaudible) same company, that s what it was, Palmerton. Fugett: Why did you come back to Bethlehem Steel? 00:28:22 Because he called me back. See, give me laid off. He started taking workers again, see, and it was better for me because my wife live over here. I have to go up and down. He pay boarding house in Palmerton, see. Yes, I lived for the rest of my life in Bethlehem. I come over here when I was 24 years old, see, because 1901, come down in 26 [1926]. My birthday is in August. I was 25 years old when I started (inaudible), 24 years old. (inaudible). This is about 49 years, no? Well, the first time before I come down over here, I went (inaudible), you know. I go see my father. It was Sunday, Sunday morning. I go see my father for his (inaudible). He say, Goodbye, and (inaudible) come down to the United States. My father, he say, Why you want to go to United States? You work over here and (inaudible). Never. (inaudible) over there in United States 6

7 when (inaudible). Because I worked over there in Mexico City as chauffeur, taxi cab and in the bus lines. I worked for (inaudible), chauffeur I have in my uniform. I come down over here, I never buy car. I no drive. And I drive over there about 10 years in Mexico City. It s a big city. My wife no like buy the car now, (inaudible) better to stay out of the car. I walk all the time. Fugett: That s good. Well You want drink something? Soda? Fugett: No, no. Thanks a lot. (end of recording) 7