At Swords Point - An organized labor history of Greenfield
On November 2nd, 2016, Tom Goldscheider presented a surprising and fascinating history of organized labor in Greenfield. His project was funded from a Scholars In Residence grant, awarded by MassHumanities and sponsored by The Museum of Our Industrial Heritage.
Tom’s first introduces us to the spirit and enterprise of first Colonial settlers of Western Massachusetts. He fast-tracks the evolution of Western Massachusetts industry, introducing the important local highlights that led our community into the 20th century.
Tom then presents the changes in business and society which led to the need for Union organization of Greenfield area industry.
The big surprise of the talk is the story of a historic clash between the The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (UE), and the political climate of the anti-communist mania of the McCarthy 1950s!
At Sword’s Point Article
Annotated Bibliography