Interviewer
Institute of Oral History
Project
Farah Strike
Summary of Interview
She says that everything is back in busisnes at Farah and that the new president of Farah is not fighting with the union any more. She says that many people are getting left off and many people just like her she was let off and came back 3 times in a row and she says that she is thinking that is better for her to start studying. She says that Willy Farah, the owner, was very hated and loved at the same tiem and she says that many people will give them gifts such as bringing him mariachi and workers will sing and she says that its very hipocrit on their side. When they were recruited, supervisors checked over them to verify that you did your job efficiently, but occasionally they were excessive and that it would fire plenty of individuals for either taking too long on a task or going above and beyond what was required. One day she was hurt and had vto go to the hospital. The medical care provided inside the factory was terrible, and any individual who need every type of basic healthcare was treated quite rudely. She suspects this was due to a shortage of materials for any form of medical procedure. There was a time when everyone was depressed over the poor living conditions they had, the long hours they were working for inadequate compensation, and their inability to make ends meet. She claims that they will continue to work at the plant because they must provide for their families on a daily basis in order to have a roof over their heads and food on the table. Due to the possibility of going months without salary during the strike and the fact that many of them had dependent family members, many people decided not to participate. The Union and its supervisors harassed a lot of people during the strike by fining them and warning them that they would regret participating, despite the fact that hundreds of people took part. Some employees choose not to strike due to financial concerns, but she claims that the strike was essential and that they will bear the costs because they were standing up for their rights. She believes that protesting wasn't simple because those who weren't affiliated with Farah were also suffering but they couldn't quit their jobs. She claims that after a few months of employment, they were meant to receive a rise, but the supervisors have refused to implement those raises, which is another reason behind the strike. They had huge speciation's that the company wasn't happy about, but they were expecting that following the strike many people would get rises and the working conditions would improve. She claims even though supervisors were meant to offer guidance, they only thought about their own advantages and didn't aid any of the workers. She claims that the strike was beneficial because many businesses realized the importance of workers in keeping the factory running, but Farah was a place where they didn't care about their workers and posed a challenge for them. Women were the majority of the staff there, and they declared that the supervisors every so often harassed them. After the strike, many people lost their jobs and other financial support, which was very painful for many workers with dependents. but they still make some changes after long protests. She says that at the end of the day they were looking forward to have the same rights as managers and directors from the companies because that is what everyone deserves.
Date of Interview
2-1-2023
Length of Interview
2 hours, 6 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1776
Transcript Number
No. 1776
Transcriber
Roberto Cristoforo
Interview Number
No. 1776
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Paraa by Institute of Oral History, 2023, "Interview no. 1776," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Roberto Cristoforo transcribed the coversheet of the interview. There is no transcription of the interview.