Helen Weaver
“They asked me to come, and I went for an interview and I got a job right away. And then I got into the fifth floor. That beautiful fifth floor. I only started as a part time worker. I was put on full time for thirty-two years. I’m now getting a nice pension from the steel company. They’ve been very, very, good to me. I worked up in the executive dining room. I waited on Mr. Grace and all the people that were his aides and vice presidents and so on. It was a beautiful job. I got to know Mr. Grace. He knew me. I only worked six hours a day and that was fine because it gave me time to be home. I got my children off to school, and I was there when they came home from school. My husband also worked in the Bethlehem Steel. He worked out in the number two machine shop, and my brothers, one worked in the open hearth, another one was a crane man. My brother also worked, good times and bad times.
It was fun to go to work. We had everything. Our uniforms were given to us. Everything was spotless. They have an Austrian-Hungarian chef. Things, he was absolutely, went his way you know. He had that place so spotless and it was a busy, busy place. We were like a family. You always helped one another. Very nice happy working days. We had thirteen weeks vacation! Would you believe that? My husband, he worked out in the plant. This was the beautiful thing about Bethlehem Steel. I’m very grateful for that. They had to take physical examinations, and my husband, they found he had a heart problem. Rather than lay him off, they put him into the main office building and gave him a desk job. Now can you imagine that? He worked in the stock room and he didn’t have to lift anything!”