Walter Ritch interview conducted by Clark Douglas Halker, 2011-07-20

Wally Ritch is a retired ironworker from Local 63, who also leads the retirees club for the Local. In the interview, we cover his background, his entrance in the trade, his career, changes in safety, and his views on the union and the labor movement.
The Local IWU 63 headquarters can be a bit noisy and this can be heard in the background. It is an industrial building for the most part, so the cooling and heating system is a regular problem. Occasionally, the building even generates a line noise that is impossible to keep off the recording. Sometimes you can also hear people in the office section talking and laughing or somebody will walk into the room.
Recorded at the Iron Workers Union Local #63 Headquarters, Broadview, Illinois, July 20, 2011.
Cultural Traditions of Ironworkers in America's Upper Midwest : Archie Green Fellows Project, 2011-2012 (AFC 2011/062: 00250) Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
To honor the memory of Archie Green (1917-2009), a fellowship program was established at the American Folklife Center in 2010. Archie Green Fellowships support new research in the contemporary culture and traditions of American workers.
In English.