Paul Lemieux
Workers on the New Bedford Waterfront
These oral histories were produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.
Laura Silverman
Paul Lemieux is 60 years old, a third-generation French-Canadian who grew up in the New Bedford area and attended the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational High School [Voc] where he learned welding. He started his own business, Blue Fleet Welding Services, in 1984 and has been working on the New Bedford waterfront in this capacity for 33 years. In this interview he explains how he got into welding and started his own company, the effects that strikes in the fishing industry in the 1980's had on him personally and in terms of his business, and the effects that regulations and consolidation have had on the fishing industry of New Bedford/Fairhaven. Paul explains different aspects of welding, tools and chemicals used, and some of his personal experiences with customers and employees. He also describes what it’s like to run a family business.
This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.
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