Cannon Mills Company

The first part of this interview is with various workers from the Fieldcrest Cannon Plant in Kannapolis, N.C. Rodgers discusses anti union campaigns, racism and perceptions of Southern textile workers.

This video features unidentified pro-union workers from the Fieldcrest Cannon plant in Kannapolis, N.C. The workers discuss why the union is important them, their feelings about the lost union election, their concerns returning to work after the election, and various grievances that they have with the company.

The Honeycutt family discusses the 1991 unionization campaign at Cannon Mills. Rouse discusses how he came to Kannapolis, his education, his work at the YMCA, the relationship between the Cannon family and the Kannapolis YMCA, the National Recovery Act, and other topics.

The Honeycutt family discusses how working at Cannon Mills has changed over the years, the differences in the current union organizing campaign differs from the one in the 1930s, and other topics.

The Honeycutt family discusses the current perceptions of the union in regard to the 1991 union campaign, the shift in ownership in the mills from local ownership to absentee owners, how work in the mills has changed over the years and other topics.

Krause discusses his memories of Charles Cannon and his years working at the Cannon Mill as well as African Americans at the mill and integration efforts. Haynes discusses her involvement in union organizing, working at the Cannon Mill, strikes, and the negative public opinion of union efforts.

J.G. Krause and Wingate discuss the Cannon Mill and Wingate's duties as a National Guardsman during union strikes in 1934 and 1935.

Deal discusses labor abuses at Fieldcrest-Cannon, and his role as an organizer of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.

Rushmeyer discusses her work as an organizer, current conditions in the Fieldcrest Cannon plant, tactics used by Fieldcrest Cannon to keep the union out and other topics. Deal, Rushmeyer, Mary, Peggy, and Cynthia discuss the local perceptions of the union, conditions in the Fieldcrest Cannon plant, the Civil Rights movement, relationships between the mill ownership and the town of Kannapolis, the recent union campaign, and other topics.

Blythe discusses his coverage of the textile workers' strike of 1934 for a local Charlotte, N.C. newspaper. Lisk and Heafner discuss Yates's memories of Red Lisk (Richard Lisk's father) and relationships between unions, workers and owners of textile mills.

Plyler, Stout, and Leaper discuss working in the textile mill, their reactions to learning about the textile workers' strike of 1934, the education system, and other topics.

The textile workers in this video were working to unionize Cannon Mills in 1991. The workers read letters written by various participants of the 1934 strike and react to their contents. Thornburgh discusses her involvement with the textile workers' strike of 1934, the letters she wrote to Washington, D.C., and how the strike has impacted her life.

Wright talks about union organizing in the 1970s, retirement benefits, labor laws, and the tactics which mills used to keep their workforce from organzing.

Jones and Blatney discuss a letter that Jones' father wrote to Franklin Roosevelt in 1933 protesting violations of the minimum wage laws, working conditions for African Americans in the cotton mills, segregation, and other topics.

Jones and Blatney discuss the strike, and the letter Jones's father wrote to Franklin Roosevelt. Neely discusses a letter written to Washington, D.C. in which the African American workers at Irving Mill in Cooleemee, N.C.

Haynes and other women from the Fieldcrest Cannon plant 6 discuss working conditions in the plant, the contested union election, the state of industry in Kannapolis, and other topics. Haynes and another woman named Hazel discuss working in the cotton mills and related health issues, including brown lung.

Wright and several other retirees discuss there involvement in the current drive to organize a union at Fieldcrest Cannon. The second half of this video consists of George Stoney and Judith Helfand talking with union organizers. They discuss the issues that they have had with the company as organizers, the lack of knowledge around the textile workers' strike of 1934, and the support they have received during the current union organizing drive.

Miller telephones Lisk and asks about his father's role in the union. Miller also talks about workers' relationship with the mill owners and the union, as well as how people would be fired and blacklisted if they joined the union.

Miller tours the industrial areas of Concord, North Carolina and shows the crew various mill houses and closed mills in the area.

Rev. Miller discusses his brother-in-law Red Lisk, helping to organize the local in Concord, his work as a loom fixer, life in the mill village, and other topics.