The goal of this project is to document the experiences of frontline utility workers from the mid-20th century across the United States (with a focus on Northern California, Seattle, WA, Philadelphia, PA and Atlanta, GA). The 1960s through the 1980s marked a pivotal period of energy service expansion and workforce diversification. By gathering oral histories from meter readers, clerks, service representatives, and other employees who directly and regularly engaged with the public, this project provides vital and overlooked perspectives on the history of labor and power. These memories, experiences, and stories will shed light on the important role of worker-customer relations and the dynamic movements central to the equitable expansion of energy services, and contribute to a deeper understanding of past and present just transition efforts.
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation