Description: Fritz Wetherbee reports that Annie Johnson, a Boston resident, will receive the Living Legacy Award in Washington DC. Johnson grew up in Boston and organized domestic workers through the Women's Service Clubs of Boston in the 1960s. She led the workers on a campaign for benefits. Interview with Johnson in her home. She talks about the importance of helping others. Johnson discusses her aunt, Eleanor Graves Chandler, who was an early community activist. Johnson preparing chicken in her kitchen and visiting a senior citizen meal program at the Grace Baptist Church.
1:00:12: Visual: Footage of Annie Johnson (Living Legacy Award winner) saying that a person can be poor and "colored" and still help everybody. Fritz Wetherbee reports that Johnson is 83 years old; that Johnson will fly to Washington DC to receive her Living Legacy Award. V: Footage of Johnson preparing chicken in her kitchen at home. Wetherbee reports that Johnson is preparing the food for Project Soup; that Project Soup is a senior citizen meal program at Grace Baptist Church. V: Footage of Johnson saying that people have called her for help when she is sick in bed; that she will get up to try to help them, before going back to bed to lie down. Wetherbee reports that Johnson grew up in Boston; that she has lived in the same house on Elmwood Street for 46 years; that she raised seven children in the house. V: Shots of Elmwood Street in Boston; of the exterior of Johnson's house on Elmwood Street. Footage of Johnson preparing chicken in her kitchen. Wetherbee reports that Johnson organized domestic workers in the 1960s, through the Women's Service Clubs of Boston. Wetherbee notes that Johnson succeeded in winning minimum wage, worker's compensation, social security, and regular days off for the workers. Wetherbee adds that Johnson organized a job training program for the workers. V: Shot of the prepared chicken in a foil dish. Wetherbee reports that Johnson is the niece of Eleanor Graves Chandler. V: Shot of an African American woman serving chicken to elderly women at Project Soup. Footage of Johnson saying that Chandler was a politician; that Chandler believed that African American women should be active in politics and civic life. Johnson says that she can remember taking people to register to vote when she was younger. Johnson talks about another one of her relatives who was "an advocate for her race." Shot of Johnson leaving the Grace Baptist Church, carrying some flowers. Wetherbee reports that Martin Luther King Sr., Jesse Owens, Rosa Parks, A. Philip Randolph, and Roy Wilkins have all been awarded the Living Legacy Award; that Johnson will receive the award this evening. V: Footage of Johnson saying that many other racial groups have followed the lead of African Americans in their struggle for civil rights.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 11/20/1987
Description: No audio. First half runs in black and white, second half in color. Exteriors of Boston City Hall, wide and close shots. People crossing plaza, and going through revolving door at entrance to City Hall. Municipal workers exit building; some carry briefcases.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 04/11/1977
Description: Lawrence Maid Footwear, division of W.R. Grace. Workers, including many older women, exit shoe factory at end of shift. Lawrence Maid Footwear employs approximately 750 people, decreased from 2,200 in 1969. The reporter explains the decline of the shoe industry in the US. Inside, women stitch shoe parts rapidly on old sewing machines. Punch clock and time cards on wall. Great expanse of factory space, rows of fluorescent lights. Unused machines covered in plastic. Large spools of thread on shelves.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 03/07/1977
Description: Longshoremen's hiring hall. Men crowd around window for work assignments. Interview with union worker, who says job shortage due to progress and automation. He has not been paid under contract guaranty because of loopholes. He predicts October 1 strike against Boston Shipping Association. Containerization calls for fewer workers, from about 1,200 men to about 400 men, though tonnage of port has remained stable. Man hours have decreased, some men have left the industry, others try to collect their guaranty. A man being interviewed says that the men are very angry.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/24/1976
Description: Deborah Wang reports on a labor dispute concerning the Boston Harbor Cleanup project. Wang notes that labor have signed an agreement with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), in which the unions have promised not to strike if the MWRA agrees to hire only union workers for the project. Interview with John Cruz of J.B. Cruz Construction, who says that many minority businesses would like to bid on the project. Cruz can afford union wages but cannot afford union rules. He says that his business is more efficient because his workers are not unionized. Interview with Richard Fox of the MWRA), who says that the MWRA wants to avoid a work stoppage during the project. Interview with Joe Nigro of the Building Trades Council, who says that unions give workers good healthcare and pensions. Wang reports that Cruz and other non-union contractors may challenge the agreement in court. Following the edited story is additional b-roll footage of construction workers and construction sites.
1:00:08: Visual: Shots of two African American men moving a heavy object from the basement of a building; of a truck belonging to the J.B. Cruz Company; of rowhouses being renovated in Roxbury. Deborah Wang reports that the J.B. Cruz Company has been building and renovating homes in Roxbury since 1948. V: Shots of two African American men lifting a heavy object onto the back of a truck. Wang reports that the J.B. Cruz Company hopes to bid on the Boston Harbor Cleanup project; that the Boston Harbor Cleanup project is the largest public works project to date. V: Shot of an African American man working on the wiring of a home. Footage of John Cruz (J.B. Cruz Construction) being interviewed by Wang. Cruz says that he hopes the project will have a 30% minority set-aside; that minority businesses see the program as a great opportunity. Shots of an African American man operating a tractor; of rubble being transported out of a building on a conveyor belt. Wang reports that the J.B. Cruz Company may not be able to bid on work for the Harbor Cleanup project because the J.B. Cruz Company runs an "open shop" using non-union labor. Wang reports that the city's unions do not want non-union workers to participate in the project. V: Shots of two African American construction workers examining a document; of a construction worker measuring a pipe. Footage of Cruz saying that the union policy is discriminatory. Cruz says that he has been fighting discrimination all of his life. Shots of a construction worker operating a backhoe; of a construction worker using a welding torch. Wang reports that the unions are in control of the Boston Harbor Cleanup project; that the unions have signed a labor agreement with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Wang notes that the unions have promised not to strike during the ten-year project. Wang adds that the unions consider the no-strike clause as a major concession. V: Shots of a construction site; of a worker descending stairs on a piece of scaffolding; of a construction worker using a mallot. Footage of Richard Fox (MWRA) saying that a work stoppage during the project could cost millions of dollars. Fox says that the MWRA wanted an agreement which guaranteed good relations with labor and construction workers. Shot of two construction workers walking on a job site; of a construction worker working in a subterranean structure; of a construction worker operating a backhoe. Wang reports that the unions fought for a clause stating that all workers on the project must be union members. Wang notes that Cruz must enroll all of his workers in a union if he wants to bid on the Harbor Cleanup Project. Wang reports that Cruz says that he can afford union wages but cannot afford union rules. V: Shots of construction workers working at a construction site; of Cruz being interviewed by Wang. Shots of a gravel truck at a construction site; of the driver of the gravel truck. Footage of Cruz saying that his business runs more efficiently because his business is not subject to union work restrictions. Shots of workers shoveling rocks down a chute into a building. Footage of Joe Nigro (Building Trades Council) saying that unions try to give workers good healthcare and a healthy pension. Nigro says that Cruz pays his workers low wages; that Cruz does not offer health and welfare benefits. Wang stands at a construction site. Wang reports that unions have a highly skilled work force; that unions get most of the jobs on big construction projects. Wang notes that unions can often dictate the labor terms on big construction projects. V: Footage of Cruz being interviewed by Wang. Cruz says that the unions are threatened by open-shop contractors because they are more efficient. Shots of a construction site near Boston Harbor. A worker climbs on a half-built structure. Another worker stands on a large piece of equipment. Wang reports that other non-union contractors are unhappy about the labor agreement for the Boston Harbor Cleanup project. Wang notes that a trade group may challenge the agreement in court; that the lawsuit could signal further delays for the Harbor Cleanup Project. V: Shots of construction workers at a site near Boston Harbor; of the Boston skyline; of large equipment operating in the harbor.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 06/26/1989
Description: B-roll of clerical workers. Women using Royal electric typewriters. Sound effects of key strokes and carriage return bell. Rotary dial telephone. Row of desks. Rubber stamp, rolodex, stapler, adding machine.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 03/02/1977
Description: State revenue department interior. Women office workers processing tax returns at rows of computer terminals in large, open area with fluorescent lights overhead. Men using printer.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 08/04/1977
Description: State workers in large office in McCormack building. Interviews with female employee who describe the positive impact that flextime has had on their lives. Interview with supervisors who explain the increase in productivity and positive attitude after the introduction of flextime; difficulty in measuring productivity. Advantages to the state include an improvement in employee morale, elimination of tardiness, reduction of sick leave.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 05/11/1977
Description: State welfare office interiors. Receptionist takes calls on multiline rotary dial phone. Women workers at metal desks in groups of four. File cabinets stuffed with manila folders of paperwork. Form for assistance payments. Staff person talks to client/applicant in Spanish. Interviews with two supervisors about qualifications for social work jobs.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 06/15/1977
Description: B-roll of woman working at a desk. Closeup on nameplate for Brenda French. Woman executive meeting with male and female office workers. Computers in offices. Cafeteria and hallway scenes. Reporter and camera operator discuss the shots they are getting. Exteriors of Digitial company sign building.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 03/05/1982