Women Workers in the Pineapple Industry

In 1979 the Ethnic Studies Oral History Project (currently the Center for Oral History) conducted its sixth oral history project on long-term women workers in the pineapple industry, with a focus on the pineapple canneries and plantations on Oahu. The commercialization of Hawaii’s pineapple industry began in 1903, and was historically one of the largest employers of women workers. This project looked at the nature of pineapple work, the intersection of work with their personal and home lives, and the influences of the Depression, WWII, mechanization, and unionization on the experiences of women who worked in the pineapple industry. 16 women were interviewed totaling 45 recorded hours. The following excerpts describe the experiences of women with the union and striking.