Goodbye Manufacturing: Rhode Island and Deindustrialization
Riding the Blackstone River
By Aric Collins
Woonsocket was an ideal location to start successful textile manufacturing and industry. The Blackstone River and canal allowed for damming and power to operate mills. Foreign manufacturers were easily convinced to bring business to Woonsocket, as it gave them the opportunity to establish American manufacturing facilities, allowing them to compete with the American market and also evade high home county taxes. Textile mills in Woonsocket made Rhode Island the most industrialized American state of the 19th century, producing millions of yards of textiles each year, while also providing steady, stable employment and payrolls that supported local business activity.
French-Canadian immigrants comprised 3/4 of the population and consequently made up half of the working force. Mills employed whole families, including children, and although they paid 1/2 to 3/4 less than other non-textile workers and required long hours, they compensated by providing housing that included water, sewer, power and firewood. They provided company medical hospitals and cemeteries, took care of tenement maintenance needs and also planned recreational activities and events for their workers.
Hurricanes Connie and Diane combined to swell the Blackstone River to point of massive flooding, which damaged many mills that were already reeling. Photo by Erik Eckilson.
Workers gather outside the Alice Mill in Woonsocket, RI. Photo courtesy of turnto10.com
Photo by Erik Eckilson.
Hurricanes Connie and Diane combined to swell the Blackstone River to point of massive flooding, which damaged many mills that were already reeling. Photo by Erik Eckilson.
Woonsocket: An Industrial Nightmare
Textile industry success only lasted so long, however. While the rest of the country was booming in 1953, Woonsocket was experiencing a depression of its own. Additionally, the influence of the Industrial Textile Union which protected workers from bad conditions and low wages consequently drove wages up to the point where employers couldn’t operate. They suffered from southern competition which provided lower labor costs as they were able to evade the 21% wage increase strikes of the ITU. Mills were criticized for focusing their interest entirely on cotton and wool trades, as failure would mean that there would be nothing to pick up the slack or fall back on. They were also criticized for outmoded machinery and methods, although those that were considered more modern in their business found that they didn’t amount to the south even still, as they thought they would be. Operating, transportation, power and energy costs were all high compared to the south as well. New England textile communities were becoming less desirable for manufacturing.
Mills tried to accommodate making pay cuts to which workers and the union refused. The Guerin Mill announced the need for a 23.6 cent per hour pay cut, which was voted down by the union and resulted in strikes, forcing them to move south and shut down production and leaving 1,000 workers and union members out of work. Other mills were closing down as well, leaving thousands unemployed. The working force of 26,000 was now down to 17,500, leaving 8,500 without jobs. The largest mill, Manville-Jenckes, shutdown in 1949, subtracting 2,000 jobs from the Woonsocket economy. The Paper tube company also shut down production and moved to Mississippi leaving 300 more workers unemployed. The Industrial Trade Union was destroyed. With no more large mills in production, they didn’t have enough members and had to sell their headquarters.
In addition to shut downs, fires commonly burned down old buildings and mills, and 2 hurricanes in 1953 broke dams and damaged 31 mills and hundreds of Woonsocket businesses. Flooding resulted in more damage than any other event in Woonsocket history, causing water mains to rupture, leaving the Rhode Island community without water and power. Collapsed bridges made many areas inaccessible, and 9,000 workers were unable to report to work. Some of the working class no longer had homes to come back to, and tenements were also condemned or closed.
Impact
Workers had no choice but to leave without housing or income and little job prospect for the Woonsocket community. Leaving jobseekers exceeded the high birth rate, and with the predominant population leaving, the primary language in schools had become English as opposed to French for the first time. Payrolls in 1953 slumped by $250,000 to its lowest point. Diminished payrolls added to the decline in local retail and commercial sales as well as a lack of parking on main shopping streets. Furthermore, to make up for the abandoned mills and decline in tax revenues, those that still had homes were forced to pick up the slack and their property taxes were consequently increased.
Woonsocket could no longer maintain its everyday functions. Crimes involving stealing and robbery increased, fraud drained the treasury, and police and fire departments were understaffed. Experts recommended that 10 out of 18 schools be abandoned as they were considered unfit. There were problems creating adequate traffic and highway regulations, and there was a need for new building codes and renovations for a proper sewage system that didn’t create unpleasant odors to the point of which people couldn’t open their windows.
The impact of deindustrialization is still current. In 1989, businesses were still closing due to debt and bankruptcy, including banks. Two of the oldest, most prominent and long standing businesses that were in service for 70 and 100 years were closing down for good. Woonsocket’s median family income remains the lowest among Rhode Island’s 39 other communities, earning $17,000 less on average than the state median income. 23.4% of the population is below the poverty line compared to the state average of 15.2%. Woonsocket also maintains the lowest high school diploma rate in the state and 1/3 of its population is on food stamps, putting local businesses in a “boom or bust” cycle, with increased sales at the beginning of the month when EBT deposits are made, and significantly less toward the end of each month.
Sources:
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New York Times. “Wool Workers Reject Pay Cut.” New York Times. April 4, 1954.
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