Rosie the Riveter

My mother was a steelworker. She belonged to the United Steel & Aluminum Workers - Local No. 309 in Maryville, TN.

She actually operated an overhead crane in the North Plant of the Aluminum Company of America in Alcoa. And she carried a badge.

Well, she carried two badges, this one and her employee identification badge issued by the company.

She met my father at the North Plant where he was a millwright. They were married on Christmas Day, 1944, so this booklet was issued to replace the one bearing her maiden name.

She quit her job soon after she was married so these documents dated January through April, 1945, would become keepsakes of a chapter in her life that would soon be closed. She would re-enter the work force shortly after Dad died in 1975.

 

 

I have had her cedar chest of photos and memories since she entered a nursing home in 1999, but tonight (5/1/08) is the first time I have seen this little package that she was required to have on her person whenever she was on the plant premises.

Below are the front and back of the booklet followed by the inside pages. Notice that the cover states the member has paid his dues for those months. The rust stains on the receipt at the bottom show where she had pinned the badge.