by Carlos Jimenez | Aug 27, 2014 | stories
On both sides, my grandparents were farmers and people who worked the land to make a living – they lived in Oaxaca and Michoacan, Mexico. They didn’t have a lot of educational opportunity, but they worked extremely hard and raised fairly large families – over a half-dozen children on each side. Giving their kids — my parents and their siblings — a chance to go through elementary and middle school was a big part of why they worked so hard. They did their best to provide my parents, and my aunts and uncles, a better opportunity than what they’d had – something my parents also did for our generation. They got up at the crack of dawn, planting and harvesting crops during their seasons and then raising, selling, and living off their livestock. With each generation, we got a little bit more opportunity, and a lot more support to pursue our education and life’s goals – and because of that opportunity and economic mobility, today we have the opportunity to do our part to try to take care of our parents and grandparents as they get older. What I’d say about the way they worked was that it was physically intensive and tiring, and through that work they embedded into future generations a strong work ethic, teaching us that if we wanted to get further in life we’d have to work for it. They worked extremely hard so that we could have more opportunity, and as I think back on it, I hope I can say that it worked, and give thanks and love to my grandparents for it....
by Mac Buffamonte | Aug 27, 2014 | stories
Grandparents teach us wisdom, benevolence, and discipline. During my school breaks, I’ve been lucky to be able to watch my very own grandparents work by taking on a temporary job working directly alongside my grandfather. During our time working together, he’s taught a great many things, but no greater lesson has come from him than that of professionalism. Watching my grandfather work has taught me how to be a leader and a professional – and, perhaps most importantly, it’s taught me the importance of a good handshake! He’s also taught me that commitment is one of the most important qualities to have in the workplace. He’s shown me how loyalty and commitment are critical to both job performance and personal integrity. My grandmother has taught me a great deal about the value of kindness in the workplace. She’s always offering her home up to those around her office who have nowhere to go for the holidays, and just about every year, she finds a student or employee to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with us. Mac Buffamonte is the son Kay Buffamonte, President of Local 752, the bargaining unit at the Philadelphia Zoo Photo: Mac with his grandparents, who both still work full time at the same place they began their...
by Carlene Blumenthal | Aug 27, 2014 | stories
My grandfather — who came to America with his family in the 1880’s — was a miner, but had also worked on the railroads. My grandma, who had nine kids, stayed at home taking care of the chickens and fruit trees. All five of my mother’s brothers eventually became miners at one time or another, and many took part in the strikes in southern Illinois at the turn of the century. My mother worked in stores and restaurants back in the 1940s and my father, an immigrant, was an original charter member of Teamsters local 705 back in the 30s when they began in Chicago. The lessons I learned from my grandparents (and parents) taught me to be pro-union! Carlene Blumenthal is a member of Coalition of Labor Union Women and a retiree member of CTU Local 1 Photo: Coal miners with a mule (via Flickr user Janet...
by Carol Rosenblatt | Aug 27, 2014 | stories
My maternal grandparents, Harry and Bessie Kall, worked in several corner grocery stores in Philadelphia. They were poor Russian immigrants who came to the United States separately and ended up in Philadelphia. When my grandmother first arrived as a teenager, she worked in a sweatshop along with one of her sisters, and my grandfather worked in a wholesale produce distribution center. They eventually married, and somehow saved enough money to go into business as shop keepers, which was viewed as a way out of poverty at that time. They had number of stores in different locations in the city but the one I remember the best was on Euclid Avenue in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia because my sister, mother and I lived with them for about six months during the time they worked in that shop. They lived in an apartment over the store and you could walk up steps in the back of the store and find yourself in the kitchen of their home! The grocery business was hard work – on your feet most of the day for seven days a week. Until now, I never gave it a second thought that my grandmother and grandfather worked side by side in the store and were equal partners. They spoke broken English and their handwriting was not great, but somehow they managed to make a life for themselves and raise three children as well. Family was very important to them, and even though they worked long hours, there always was time for family dinners and holiday celebrations with the extended family (and with my grandmother’s excellent food,...
by Lisa Adler | Aug 27, 2014 | stories
My grandmother Silvia Paulson was the family matriarch. She outlived two husbands and was with us until age 93. Everyone who knew her understood how sassy and smart she was. Grandma Silvia went to Hunter College when it was a woman’s college – her father encouraged both his daughters to pursue their education despite the norm back then for women to stay in the home. From there, she became a public school teacher and guidance counselor in the New York City public school system, teaching theater for several years. She was also a union member – something she made sure I understood early on. My Grandma’s profession influenced my mother and my aunt to become teachers and professors, and sent me down that path as well. She taught us that it was a profession to be proud of, that it carried honor, and that – as my Grandmother always made sure we agreed with – was shamefully under-appreciated. But my Grandmother’s career as a teacher extended far beyond her classroom. She was our teacher. We spent hours at the dinner table learning about Jewish history, U.S. history, labor history, and pulling apart the news and latest developments in the world. We spent even more hours going to museums (and NYC has a lot of them!)—her advancing age and limited mobility didn’t stop her, it simply meant it would take longer to get there. My Grandmother taught me to love history, politics, and reading – and she made sure I valued the education I was so fortunate to be getting. For all of this, I am forever grateful. Lisa Adler...
