Marvin Grinstern talks about his employment at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, MI, from 1965 and 1975. Grinstern describes growing up in Lansing, farming, visiting his father at the plant, as a boy, during the 1937 strike and finally joining his father and other relatives at REO. Grinstern also talks about a fatal accident on the shop floor, managers abusing their position, the REO bankruptcy, the plant closing, and the resulting shock, depression and suicides among workers. Grinstern laments the loss of manufacturing companies and jobs in Lansing and remarks on the great changes that came to factories in the wake of unionization and women in the workplace. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the "REO Memories" oral history project.
Download this recording (MP3 format)

• Interview date: 1992-12-03
• Duration: 1:05:38
• Interviewee:
  • Grinstern, Marvin
• Interviewers:
  • Bradley, Shirley J.
  • Fine, Lisa M.

• Transcripts
• 

• Home
• Search
• By Collection
• Browse
• Collection
• Interviewee
• Interviewer
• Browse in Catalog
• Contact Info
• Comments
• Report Errors