Jola Stone Oral History

Jola Stone Oral History

Jola Stone attended art school and worked in the engineering and drafting departments of Consumers Power in Grand Rapids, MI before a friend referred her to an opening at MichCon (now DTE). Stone was the first women hired into the drafting department. Stone discusses the technical aspects of drafting and compares the way drafting was done by hand when she entered the field in 1975 to the current practice of drafting on computers. A year into her employment the drafting department joined the International Chemical Workers Union (currently under the United Food and Commercial Workers) and Jola became active in the union. Stone was vice president of her union until 1987 when she became president. She is the only female officer in her union and she discusses the underrepresentation of women in the union and the lack of encouragement for women to advance in the union. Stone ends the interview with a discussion on the benefits of being in a union and her hopes for more women to become involved in union activities.

Raucher, Margaret; Advisory Group Members

Stone, Jola, 1948-

2004-10-18

Taylor, MI; 1985-2005