{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/1c1td9pn62/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Garris McFadden interview, 1994-11"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/053/original/cropped-marmia-logo-copy1.png?1586173104","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["https://marmia.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/25715"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["1994-11 (Creation)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["Be advised that this video may contain sensitive, triggering, and offensive language and content. (Content warning)","Digitized with funding provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources' \"Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices\" grant program. (Funding note)","Garris McFadden discusses being the first Black union leader to be elected by an integrated waterfront union at the Port of Baltimore, International Longshoremen's Association Local 333. (Scope and Content Note)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["1 Betacam"]}},{"label":{"en":["Identifier"]},"value":{"en":["WJZ-FLDTP-006-025 (Identifier)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Series Title"]},"value":{"en":["Field Tapes"]}}],"summary":{"en":["Be advised that this video may contain sensitive, triggering, and offensive language and content.","Digitized with funding provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources' \"Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices\" grant program.","Garris McFadden discusses being the first Black union leader to be elected by an integrated waterfront union at the Port of Baltimore, International Longshoremen's Association Local 333."]},"provider":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["MARMIA"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["MARMIA"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/053/original/cropped-marmia-logo-copy1.png?1586173104","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/253/880/small/thumbnail_253880_1728349566.jpg?1728349578","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - open-uri20250109-552-jprxln.mp4"]},"duration":1262.338,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/253/880/small/thumbnail_253880_1728349566.jpg?1728349578","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-marmia.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/253/880/original/open-uri20250109-552-jprxln.mp4?1736438643","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":1262.338,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["AUTO_TRINT_WJZ-FLDTP-006-025.mp4 [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"I couldn't get anybody to respond. I told them what I wanted. Maybe you can set it up for me. Well, I don't know what you got to do this afternoon. I said look for you. You follow me there? I mean, you can get the other part this afternoon. You getting what you want to go down? It might be possible. I don't I don't have these pictures that I have. I got pictures of me in the Navy, but there. We'll do the best we can on this one and see what happens. All right. Now, back in, I found some footage of you in our archives. And, of course, you were in your you were head of the union, the RN, and you were being pursued by all the TV stations that gave you to give them sound bites on what the heck was going on in that strike. What year was that? The strike was, I think it was 1958. I mean, 1978. I think it was 1978. I think it was. Was that a long one, do you recall? Yeah, I think that strike lasted about three months. Well, you must've really had your hands full back then. Well, being the president of our newly created, integrated local, it was quite dry. Suddenly, I had different factions. Some people were happy with the performance then. Some people just weren't happy because you are of a different origin, you know? So I had all those things to contend with, you know? So you're saying that you were you had been representing mostly black workers before that and then and then it began integrated or you still representing most of the black Union? No, I had I represented as fast as black and white. Okay. But prior to my becoming the head of that organization, there were two organizations, one white and one black.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=2.17,143.26"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"They were integrated, merged, and then I appear as the president of that merged group. And that's where the difference of opinion came. Some people live by one set of rules. Some people live another. Some people accept ones. It's one facet of people of for life and some people didn't. And you had all of those things to contend with, or you were you then the first African-American union leader on that scale? I mean, it represented that kind of that many men in a port the size of Baltimore. Were you the first? Yes and no. Well, the no, I'll answer first, because we had the president of the all black locally far away was Hershey, Hershey, Richardson. And I then was a delegate under him under that segment. Then we also had Billy Shaughnessy, who was the president of 8 to 9, which was the white local. So when they merged, they gave them dual responsibilities for the first term. Okay. Then we had two presidents, so to speak, not displace in either going to both of them a job. So in actuality, I guess Mr. Richardson was probably the first, but not by himself. I was the first elected under this new regime, first black, reelected on this new day. And that makes me the first under that status. Yeah. So. So in other words, you were the first black union leader here in the area to represent that many. You're elected by them, you know. So you were the first black union member elected by an integrated waterfront union? Yes, I was. You hung in there with that strike. How did you ever become I mean, you were you were just a waterfront worker there for what, years? Yeah. Did you work your way up that position? How did that happen? I was always a very attentive union member, and I went to all the meetings and.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=145.24,285.7"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And I was always for progress. And whenever I felt there was a need to exert myself or speak to an issue, I did that. And that brought me myself to the attention of the people in our local at the time, which was a crime rate. And I ran. Once before as I'm trying to think what I ran and I ran as a recording secretary the very first time. And of course, I didn't win. And one of the elderly gentleman who I'm proud to say still living, said to me at that particular election, he says, you like 20 years in front of you time, you know. He said, But don't give up. And anyway, subsequently I ran again and I ran as a walking delegate under Mr. Rich's one. And then. When the two locals were merged together. Of course, I had my job as a delegate. And then Mr. Richardson hated. He lost Mr. Sinofsky, of course. If you know anything about him, he was in trouble with the law and he had to serve some time. So he was taken out of the picture. And while the court became the first president elected president of the new merged system and I do war. So you you had just been elected and now they were you were getting ready to pull the the longest dock strike in years of of an integrated union. And here you are in charge of this strike. Was this sanctioned by by New York or I mean, was this all the way it was supposed to be, do you recall? No, it wasn't sanctioned by New York. New York, then, never really sanctioned a strike other than the one that they call themselves. And my strike had to do with the differences here.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=287.11,427.45"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And they didn't sanction it. But under the minor Griffin act in the Constitution and bylaws, I have a right to adjudicate my own problems, you know, to. What were you thinking? I mean, here you were leading these men on on a strike, which was to last three months. Well, we're looking at hindsight now. I thought the strike would be over in two weeks or a week or whatever. And I had no idea it was going to be, you know, unless they strike the problems that, you know, confronted us at that particular time. To me, it wasn't astronomical. They weren't, you know, that great. But what it was, it was the audacity of me, a black. I was very I guess if you might want to say, a minority or whatever, to be acting or to be standing tall until I saying this, this is what we're going to give. This is what my union members are entitled to. And they didn't want to give in to me. You know, there was nothing that they really, really shouldn't of would not have given had I been someone else. Well, you know. So how did it work out? Did you hang in there and get what you wanted? Well, what happened was the international Mr. John Karr told the international that I pulled an illegal strike. I didn't explain to the men thoroughly what was taking place. I didn't read the contract, you know, and the international or a free vote. And I just simply refused. And I felt that I was on my way to New York the day that the order to revoke. And so there was no revote. And what they did said that I disobeyed orders and they forced those back to back to work, you know.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=428.56,549.2"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"So in essence, it was plan. It was, you know, and. That's probably the one of the greatest things that have happened in this port to send, if you are familiar with the structure of this port. The union was a very tight knit union. They're very aggressive, very strong. I say from the 19 middle 1970s or the beginning of the 1970s, up until now, the union has degraded itself. It has been degraded, weakened, weakened over the years. And now right now, we almost don't have a union. It is simple that we pay dues with this. Are you ready to get back into a leadership role? No, no. I'm looking at accomplishing 40 years of service simply because I don't exist, exert myself in doing my job. I just tell somebody else what to do and see that they do it. So we have a payment up to 40 years or retirement and says, I feel good. Never been sick a day of my life. I feel this load of this. I don't need to just come out in the street, you know, and do nothing. So I'm going to try to acquire the 40 years and I'm a little bit better than a year away from it. Just really a year away from it. So in other words, what you're saying is in another year, you'll have 40 years? Yes. You're ready to retire? Anytime I want to. Are you. I when I when I acquired the 40 years. I mean, you're really going to walk away from it? Yes. What are you going to do? I'm going to travel outside. Although if you notice, I got a motor home setting up under that shelter when I went to Alaska in 92, took six weeks, took a week to drive up to Alaska and spent four weeks in Alaska, took a week to drive by.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=550.64,680.44"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And I call it Triple A's. And I asked and that give me two routes to go up there, a direct route and a scenic route. And I've seen it. But, you know, you like that. I like that. So that's the road is waiting for you, I hope. Yeah. Last year, I split up in Nova Scotia and I spent about a month, but I went up there for a month. So after 40 years working on the Baltimore waterfront, you're ready to hit the road for a little car and. Yeah. Well, good luck. Thank you. Thank you. Now, let's go back one more time. It's go back to you. You were born and raised in Baltimore. No. Okay. You came to Baltimore? When I came to Baltimore in 1940. To do what? I was a little boy. Your family brought you. Yeah. From where? South Carolina. So you were born and raised in South Carolina. A little place called L.A., South Carolina. And you came to Baltimore? How old were you? I was about nine years old. 28? Yeah. What school year? Yes. Then. Then you joined the Navy? Yes, I did. What year were you in the service? I went into service in 1957. I'm sorry. So in 1947. I won the Navy in 1947. You went in at 47. You were out when I came out in 50. And I went back in 50 and I came out 53. And then what did you do? I went back to work. Really? I came out and I went to Fort Hallberg and worked there until the sit in the court closed out. And then I went up to Aberdeen and work. And then I was at Aberdeen when I came here. What had happened? I had never gained the status of permit.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=681.16,794.02"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Every year, the fiscal year of government is July. They will lay me off for a month and then call me back. So in 1957, when they laid me off, I said, Well, I've got a chance now to go down the waterfront and if I can get down now, don't worry about the government. So I came here, they called me back up, but I wouldn't go. So I've been here ever since. And that was why in 57 I really started in 56. I work about 48 hours in 56. Okay. So where were you? Let me see. What were you in the Navy? What was your job? I was in the engineers force. I was a boiler technician. And then when you went to Fort Holler, Bird and Aberdeen, what were you doing? I was a boiler technician at both places. And then when you. When you finally got. When you could when you knew you wasn't going to make it in the civilian military or whatever, you came to, you, you started working on the waterfront. I started. Working on the waterfront as a way as a whole, going on the whole of this ship. You know, it's funny. The first job that I had, a friend of mine was carrying a gang that was from South Carolina and had known me when I was a little boy named by Henry Graham. And he had a job down at a place called Dave's and Chemical. And he took me down and gave me a job and I went in a hole. And the bags that I was letting land on my shoulders taken to the Whanganui ship with 225 pound, I didn't weigh about 130 some 3638 at the time. So that's the difference in today and what I had to do back in those days.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=794.95,904.06"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"You know, 40 years ago you were lugging 225 pound bags of white ammonia, whatever the chemicals that they had in it, in the hole in the hole of a ship, that's enough to give you a sneeze or two. And I worked five days a week and couldn't come out for Saturday. That's not I was the holiday the time and a half day. I could not make it. Now you So you worked down there until. Well that that was 1956. 57 and then 19. So you worked out on the waterfront actually as a as a laborer for what, about 20 years? No, not well, yes, as a as a labor. But I changed my job description within the last lot of part of the first year down there. I recognized that work was very heavy then. Very hard, you know, And like I said, I was only like 130 to 40 pounds. And so I pay strict attention to the the operators and then the guys that drove the forklifts and things. And so within a year I developed that type skill because I always go get all I want. And after the year I have been operated ever since, I only work in the whole hand hole. I drove in the hole with the operate, I mean with the tractor. But I only worked in the hole. How I ran cargo with my hand for a year. And then you became a forklift forklift operator. So you went in a hole. But you let the Faulkner through all that? Yeah. Yeah. And I had to. Well, that showed some. Some outstanding intelligence right from the very beginning. Well, you know, you have to do. You have to do what you have to do and I needed a job.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=904.39,1013.08"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And so in back, in those days, mind you, you just couldn't go down and get on a tractor. You might do it for a day, but the boss would be looking at you. And if you hadn't done something that that was worthy of him hiring you back the next day, you didn't have a job. So you had to also be fairly decent. What you do well, you must have been, in that case, being a black forklift operator back then. You must have been damn good at what you were doing. I think I was. And I'm not trying to be funny. I think I wound up being as good as anybody that I was set on. And I think, in fact, I think I still do that pretty well every night I take it. And the guy would be working for me this drive and and he's not capable of perform and I'll get on and do it for him. You know, he's still there. He's getting paid, but I'll do it for him. So you haven't lost it? No, No, not now. You lose that. It's wonderful stuff. Okay, so. So now you're. You're still working on the waterfront? Yeah. And from time to time, like you said, you know, you get out there and you operate that forklift. But what is your primary job right now? You got away from the union, number one. How long were you president of the NRA? I was in in office from 1971 till 70. Eight. And then I went back in office this two year break and went back in office in 80, and I stayed there for 84. So in 1984, you came out, you came out and you got away from being a union official in 84.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=1013.53,1117.88"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Right. And then you and so what are you doing now? I'm a supervisor. This instruct on how to unload and load the cargo that comes in. And we have to send out, you know, where it goes and hurry goes. And I just see that that's done. So you oversee the the tractor drivers and the forklift operators. I don't see everybody trying to drive the crane operators, forklift operators, yard hustler operators. I have to make sure that only the cargo that's supposed to come off the ship that's coming here is discharge. And I have to make sure that only the cargo that's supposed to go on the ship and in what section of the ship? Because you just can't load a ship. See, because a ship leaves here and it stops at another port and it'll pick up more cargo and then all that cargo, it's got to be in a position so it reaches us for its overseas port. They can get to that cargo without having to go through cargo that's going to the next port. When you figure all that out. Yeah. Well, it's all laid out. I'm supposed to oversee it and see that it's done. And if. If there's a mistake, I try to. The attention of the plan man or the supervisor in charge of me. Lot of responsibility. Yeah. But as it becomes very easy to you, it after 40 years, I guess. Well, it seems to me, even though you're not in the union, that you're not a union official, it seems like the Port of Baltimore is still relying very heavily on Gus McFadden. Well, I do have a responsibility, and they pay me well for that. And I. So there's no reason for me not to perform.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=1118.6,1226.18"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And then again, I'm kind of a guy I never, never wanted my boss to say to me, you can't perform your job or you're not performing. You know, my pride would be hurt. So I try at that angle or at every stage of my game to do my job expertly. Yeah. And you love it, I guess, don't you? I have. I really have loved it. It's diminishing a little bit now, you know. Well, as time winds down, you know. But I used to think nothing in the world was like being a longshoreman. One final question. Do you think that the work that you.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880#t=1226.93,1260.32"}]},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["English [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136868/file/253880/transcript/71676/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"subtitling","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/file_transcripts/associated_files/000/071/676/original/trint_WJZ-FLDTP-006-025_transcript.vtt?1728353275","format":"text/vtt","language":"en"},"target":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/file_transcripts/associated_files/000/071/676/original/trint_WJZ-FLDTP-006-025_transcript.vtt?1728353275"}]}]}]}