Sticking to the Union: An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila PDF
Preview Sticking to the Union: An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila
STICKING TO THE UNION An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila Sandy Polishuk 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page i ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR STICKING TO THE UNION “Sticking to the Union is a vivid example of history ‘from the bottom up.’ With admirable sensitivity and skill, Sandy Polishuk allows Julia Ruuttila to share her remarkable story of struggle and resilience, tri- umph and tragedy, spanning more than eight decades. The result is an intriguing dialogue between memory and history.” —Bruce Nelson, author of Workers on the Waterfront “Sandy Polishuk deftly explores the challenges of history and mem- ory in this fascinating oral history biography of Julia Ruuttila: con- summate union, civil rights, and peace activist of the Pacific Northwest. Although haunted by failed relationships, poverty, Mc- Carthyite persecution, and a frustrated writing career, Ruuttila em- braced every waking moment of her eighty-four years to struggle for social and economic justice. The story of this extraordinary woman should inspire a new generation of activists.” —Laurie Mercier, author of Anaconda: Labor, Community, and Culture in Montana’s Smelter City and Associate Professor of History, Washington State University, Vancouver. “Sandy Polishuk offers two gifts: the biography of a fierce local ac- tivist whose life bears witness to the fact that ordinary people can ef- fect social justice, and a scholar’s journey into the complicated workings of memory. Sticking to the Unionis a fabulous oral history, Julia Ruuttila a compelling subject, and Sandy Polishuk, a thought- ful scholar who allows Ruuttila’s voice to drive the narrative, but who also probes the intersections of ego and memory to present the many truths of Ruuttila’s life story.” —Mary Murphy, History Department, Montana State University 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page ii Palgrave Studies in Oral History Series Editors: Linda Shopes and Bruce M. Stave Sticking to the Union: An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila by Sandy Polishuk, foreword by Amy Kesselman To Wear the Dust of War: An Oral History by Samuel Iwry, edited by L. J. H. Kelley (forthcoming) Education as My Agenda: Gertrude Williams, Race, and the Baltimore Public Schools by Jo Ann O. Robinson (forthcoming) 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page iii S T I C K I N G T O T H E U N I O N 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page iv 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page v S T I C K I N G T O T H E U N I O N An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila Sandy Polishuk 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page vi Sticking to the Union Copyright © Sandy Polishuk, 2003. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2003 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of thePALGRAVEMACMILLAN division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 1-4039-6239-1 hardback ISBN 1-4039-6240-5 paperback Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Polishuk, Sandy, 1940- Sticking to the union : an oral history of the life and times of Julia Ruuttila / Sandy Polishuk. p. cm.—(Palgrave studies in oral history) includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-4039-6239-1—ISBN 1-4039-6230-5 (pbk) 1. Ruuttila, Julia. 2. Women labor leaders—United States—Biography. 3. Women labor union members—United States—Biography. 4. Women in journalism—United States—Biography. 5. Women novelists—United States—Biography. 6. Women radicals—United States—Biography. 7. Women social reformers—United States— Biography. 8. Labor unions—United States—History—20th century. I. Ruuttila, Julia. II. Title. III. Series. HD8073.R88P65 2003 331.88’092—dc21 [B] 2003049769 “Union Maid,” words and music by Woody Guthrie, TRO—© Copyright 1961 (Renewed) 1963 (Renewed), Ludlow Music, Inc., New York, NY. Used by permission. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Letra Libre. First edition: November 2003 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page vii For Julia and for Shane This page intentionally left blank 01 polishuk fm 6/20/06 4:28 PM Page ix C O N T E N T S Series Editors’ Foreword xi Foreword, Amy Kesselman xiii Acknowledgments xvii Abbreviations in Text xxi List of Illustrations xxiii Introduction 1 1. That’s Where I Heard About Sabotage 17 2. The Valiant Never Taste of Death but Once 27 3. I Shed My Youth 37 4. A Baking Powder in the Masses 45 5. I Had a Typewriter 57 6. Free Ray Becker 77 7. You Can’t Tell About People 89 8. They Were Paranoid in Those Days 95 9. My Bad Reputation Caught Up with Me 103 10. White Trade Only 115 11. It’s Work That Interests Me 123 12. You Find Friends in Improbable Places 135 13. I Mean to Be Your Friend 143 14. The Lives of Working People Are Full of Desperation 159 15. You Sure Met Some Wonderful People 167 16. I Shall Not Come This Way Again 185 17. I Look Around 195 18. Vietnam 203 19. Too Old to Get Beat Up 213
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