Source 3: Interview with Ms. Dee
Federal Writers Project
"My first job was in the Thompson-[Langdon?] Corset factory. I did nice work glove
fitting. I worked from seven in the morning till six at night, with an hour off for
lunch. We used to get up before six and walk about a mile to work, and then walk
back at night.... I worked part time and made ten to twelve dollars a week. Then
I went to work at the Star Shirt factory, as a buttonhole operator. I was a good
worker... and we had to work only until five o'clock on Saturdays and we thought
it was wonderful. Then the [union] came in... I joined it-I didn't want them to
think I was deriving the benefits without paying in my share. The workers went out
on strike and I went too. The company moved to Baltimore, Maryland-some of the
workers went down with the company-I would have gone too if I didn't have my
mother to look after. The company didn't want to be [dictated] to-and you can't
blame them in a way. If you had twenty-five thousand dollars you wouldn't want
anyone to tell you what to do."
Excerpt from the Federal Writers Project. In the public domain.
How many hours did Ms. Dee work a day at the Thompson Corset factory?