Again, real people doing real work.

These photos are of my grandparents, Louis and Betty Wishnick at their grocery store at 3638 W. Wrightwood in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood around 1953/54. People @ Work-Photos #3 & #4 - Chicago Circa 1953/54

My grandfather was from Mlawa, Poland, and my grandmother was from Russia, near Minsk. Both met in Chicago.

To view larger images of the photos, just click on them.

Interesting labor history note concerning my grandfather and family. My grandfather’s business wasn’t unionized. But, had it been unionized it probably would have been part of the Retail Clerks’ Union, an affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Union (UFCW). You may recall from my previous posts concerning the recent split of the AFL-CIO that the UFCW is part of the Change to Win Coalition. The Coalition broke up the nation’s largest labor federation, the AFL-CIO. However, here’s a real irony concerning labor history and my family. My grandfather’s brother, my great uncle, Morrie Wishnick, was president (I believe the title was Secretary Treasurer) for the Chicago local of the Retail Clerks Union back in the 60’s and 70’s. And, now I’m a management side labor and employment attorney.