About the exhibit:
The Olin-Winchester plant closed and left New Haven in 2006, but the stories of its workers throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries have yet to be told. These stories of labor struggles, workers’ culture within the plant, and the impact of the plant on the larger community are the basis of the exhibit. The core of the exhibit comes from photographs and documents from the International Association of Machinists Local 609 records held in the Labor History Association’s archives, supplemented by oral history interviews with retired Winchester workers conducted by Association volunteers. Local 609 represented workers at the plant from 1956 until its closure. Images from earlier years as well as from workers’ lives in the community are culled from personal memorabilia and employee newsletters.