Menu Expand Menu Close
Back to Top
Filter Search Expand Close Filter
Search Expand Search Close
["Sterling Ball (b. January 9, 1947, Parkersburg, WV) is a retired UFCW Local 347 president, labor organizer, songwriter and poet, a former Kroger worker, and veteran. In this interview he discusses the history of Local 347 (which has since merged with Local 400), his songs and poems, his experience in collective bargaining, labor actions, and strikes across West Virginia and Ohio, the future of the labor movement, and more. Ball is a lifelong resident of Parkersburg, WV.This interview is part of a collection of interviews with UFCW member Kroger workers conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic."]%

1. Transcript of oral history of Sterling Ball

Identifier:
4224.BallSterling.IntTranscript.12.3.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Sterling Ball
Date:
2020-12-03
Creator:
Ball, Sterling
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Supermarkets, Labor disputes--West Virginia, Strikes and lockouts, Collective bargaining--Service industries, Working class--Songs and music, Working class families, Debs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor), 1855-1926, Labor union locals, Labor union members, Food industry and trade--Employees, Nursing homes--Employees
Location:
Parkersburg (W. Va.), Charleston (W. Va.)
["Sterling Ball (b. January 9, 1947, Parkersburg, WV) is a retired UFCW Local 347 president, labor organizer, songwriter and poet, a former Kroger worker, and veteran. In this interview he discusses the history of Local 347 (which has since merged with Local 400), his songs and poems, his experience in collective bargaining, labor actions, and strikes across West Virginia and Ohio, the future of the labor movement, and more. Ball is a lifelong resident of Parkersburg, WV.This interview is part of a collection of interviews with UFCW member Kroger workers conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic."]%

2. Labor songs written by Sterling Ball

Identifier:
4224.BallSterling.Songs.9.12.21
Title:
Labor songs written by Sterling Ball
Date:
2021-09-21
Creator:
Ball, Sterling
Subject:
Collective bargaining--Service industries, Labor union members, Women service industries workers, Labor disputes--West Virginia, Food industry and trade--Employees, Working class--Songs and music, Labor union locals, Strikes and lockouts
Location:
Parkersburg (W. Va.)
["Jay ONeal (b. Amarillo, TX) is a Charleston resident, history teacher at Stonewall Jackson Middle School, and one of the central organizers of the West Virginia Teacher Strike. He speaks about his role in the strike and the context of it within a broader labor movement."]%

3. Transcript of oral history of Jay O'Neal

Identifier:
4224.ONealJay.IntTranscript.3.20.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Jay O'Neal
Date:
2019-03-20
Creator:
O'Neal, Jay
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Labor union members, Charleston (W. Va.), Strikes and lockouts--Teachers
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Elaine (Moore) Purkey is an activist songwriter and musician from Harts Creek, West Virginia in Lincoln County. She was born on May 29, 1949, on the same piece of property where she still lives. She was raised in a family of musicians and flatfoot dancers and attributes her powerful voice to the acapella singing she learned as a member of the Church of Christ. As a teenager she played in bands with her brother, and in early adulthood she was the lead singer of a local country band. In the 1980s, she began performing regularly on the Wallace Horn Friendly Neighbors Show, a live radio program out of Logan County that has been on the air since 1967. She now hosts the show. Purkey wrote songs for the Pittston Coal Strike and Ravenswood Lockout and has performed at concerts and festivals across the continent. Her song \"One Day More\" written for the Ravenswood Lockout, is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings compilation Classic Labor Songs. Purkey is portrayed in the 2014 film Moving Mountains, based on a book by Penny Loeb. A proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Purkey teaches singing classes to children at the Big Ugly Community Center."]%

4. Oral history of transcript of Elaine Purkey

Identifier:
4224.PurkeyElaine.IntTranscript.10.27.16
Title:
Oral history of transcript of Elaine Purkey
Date:
2016-10-27
Creator:
Purkey, Elaine
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Working class--Songs and music, Country music, Purkey, Elaine, Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--West Virginia, Coal mines and mining, Folk music--West Virginia
Location:
Harts (W. Va.), Lincoln County (W. Va.)
["On February 22, 2018, thousands of West Virginia public school teachers and school service employees walked out of their classrooms in what would become a nine-day statewide strike. Teachers demands included a 5% raise and affordable healthcare coverage through the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency or PEIA. These photos are part of a series of photos, videos, and interviews documenting the labor lore and expressive culture of the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia Teachers Strike.For more information on the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia Teachers Strike visit e-WV: https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2454"]%

5. Transcript of vox pop interviews with West Virginia teachers, students, state employees, and union members at the West Virginia Teachers' Strike rally at the state capitol

Identifier:
4224.WVTeachersStrike.IntTranscript.2.26.18
Title:
Transcript of vox pop interviews with West Virginia teachers, students, state employees, and union members at the West Virginia Teachers' Strike rally at the state capitol
Date:
2018-02-26
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
United Mine Workers of America, Strikes and lockouts--Teachers, Teachers' unions--United States, Labor union members, West Virginia Capitol Complex (Charleston, W. Va.), Labor disputes--West Virginia
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["On February 22, 2018, thousands of West Virginia public school teachers and school service employees walked out of their classrooms in what would become a nine-day statewide strike. Teachers demands included a 5% raise and affordable healthcare coverage through the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency or PEIA. These photos are part of a series of photos, videos, and interviews documenting the labor lore and expressive culture of the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia Teachers Strike.For more information on the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia Teachers Strike visit e-WV: https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2454"]%

6. Transcript of vox pop interviews with West Virginia teachers, students, state employees, and union members at the West Virginia Teachers' Strike rally at the state capitol

Identifier:
4224.WVTeachersStrike.IntTranscript.2.27.18
Title:
Transcript of vox pop interviews with West Virginia teachers, students, state employees, and union members at the West Virginia Teachers' Strike rally at the state capitol
Date:
2018-02-27
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily, O'Neal, Jay, Kunkel, Cathy
Subject:
West Virginia Capitol Complex (Charleston, W. Va.), Teachers' unions--United States, Strikes and lockouts--Teachers, Labor disputes--West Virginia, Labor union members
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["On February 22, 2018, thousands of West Virginia public school teachers and school service employees walked out of their classrooms in what would become a nine-day statewide strike. Teachers demands included a 5% raise and affordable healthcare coverage through the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency or PEIA. These interviews are part of a series of photos, videos, and interviews documenting the labor lore and expressive culture of the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia Teachers Strike.For more information on the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia Teachers Strike visit e-WV: https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2454"]%

7. Transcript of speeches of and interviews with students participating in the rally at the West Virginia State Capitol in support of striking teachers

Identifier:
4224.WVTeachersStrikeIntTranscript.3.2.18
Title:
Transcript of speeches of and interviews with students participating in the rally at the West Virginia State Capitol in support of striking teachers
Date:
2018-03-02
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Teaching, Labor union members, Labor disputes--West Virginia, West Virginia Capitol Complex (Charleston, W. Va.), Strikes and lockouts--Teachers, Teachers' unions--United States, Public schools--Employees
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)