Description
Contains a transcribed copy of Lucille Kendall's
1976 interview with labor organizer Dorothy Elizabeth De Losada documenting her
involvement in the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU),
Local 6, in San Francisco, beginning in the 1940s.
Background
Dorothy Elizabeth De Losada was born in San Francisco in 1921. She attended the
University of California, Berkeley, in the late 1930s and early 1940s. While she was
a college student, De Losada participated in the "Fair Bear" movement to secure
equitable wages for student restaurant workers. In 1942, De Losada dropped out of
college and went to work in the Richmond shipyards in support of the war effort. She
began her career as a labor organizer in the early 1940s at the Army Medical Depot
on Folsom Street in San Francisco, where she organized civil service workers for the
International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU), Local 6. In 1945, De
Losada moved to Tennessee to teach public speaking and grievance procedure at the
Highlander Folk School. She returned to San Francisco in 1945, serving as shop
steward for the ILWU, Local 6, at the Hiram Walker distillery. As shop steward, De
Losada secured maternity leave benefits for women workers. In 1948 she acted as
chairman of the union's negotiating committee; she was the first woman to fill that
position in Local 6 history. In addition, she served on the union's publicity
committee and board of trustees. Eventually, De Losada completed her bachelor's
degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to earn a master's
degree in social work. She changed careers later in life, becoming a social worker
for the San Francisco Unified School District.
Extent
1 folder
(0.1 Linear feet)
Restrictions
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Availability
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