The Road to Happiness: Paternalism in Canton’s Champion Paper and Fibre Company

UNCA Author/Contributor (non-UNCA co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Brannon Aughe, Student (Creator)
Institution
University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA )
Web Site: http://library.unca.edu/
Advisor
Daniel Pierce

Abstract: The Champion Paper and Fibre Company mill formed an important part not only of Canton, North Carolina where it was located, but also of the paper industry in the United States. Although in the early 20th century, the southern states were seen as a "non-union haven" for business, lengthening hours, lessening pay, and reduced employment due to changing technology, soon led to calls for unionization and labor strikes, most notably the 1934 general strike, when four hundred thousand textile workers walked off their jobs. This paper examines how Champion's use of paternalism at the Canton Mill, notably through the role of long term president Reuben Robertson Jr., and the family environment that it instilled not only warded off unionization, but turned the mill into an industrial powerhouse.

Additional Information

Publication
Other
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
labor relations, paper mill, Reuben Robertson

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