2006 Rollercoaster

2006 was a wild and challenging ride for me. I worked for 7 different contractors, but still for only 26 weeks altogether. I didn’t get a job until near the end of February when I was sent down to Susquehanna Nuclear in Berwick PA. It was only three hours from the house, so I was able to get home on my days off. Some jobs you just keep you mouth closed, show up every day and do as asked. I was put on ISI (in service inspection) again. However, in this plant we weren’t drawing the grid pattern on the pipe. All we had to do was use green scrub pads and mineral water to clean off the piping for the technicians who came behind us with the ultrasound equipment. That finding determined the thickness of the pipe which would tell the engineers if pipes needed replacement. Extremely boring job, but it paid well. After that I was sent back to Hope Creek/Salem Nuclear in NJ. During training I was able to stay with my oldest sister who lived an hour away. Once the 12 hour days started, I found a fleabag hotel that I was able to share with another female pipefitter who was on the opposite shift as me. Like I said, I don’t share my living space! This was one of the worst places I ever stayed. I could see drug/sex deals happening in the parking lot below me. I slept with a chair wedged up against the door and made sure I was always inside before dark. After I left, I was called back for a week shutdown at their sister plant, Oyster Creek, which was even closer to my sister. I’m not sure why I was there since the only thing I did for a week was sweep floors and clean the fab shop. But they paid me very well. On my last day, I stopped at the seafood shop I had passed daily. As a thank you, I bought a lobster dinner for my sister and her husband. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In May, I started up at a new veterinary research tower at Cornell we called the Mouse House. I was very happy anticipating staying on one job for at least a year. I was working with Jeff B, one of my best friends in the local. The only drawback was that my GF was “The Bitter Fitter”. Here was a guy who had everything going for him, smart and hard working, but nothing made him happy. Somewhere or somehow, there was a target drawn on my back. I could do nothing right. If I was walking on the left side of the corridor behind 6 other guys, I would be reprimanded for it and told I should know enough to walk on the right. Jeff told me the company project manager had taken one look at me and said get that woman off the job. I couldn’t believe in this day and age that was true. All I know is that it was truly a hostile work environment; then it got worse. In mid-June our paychecks bounced. We were paid on Thursday and I had deposited it in my bank on my way to work on Friday. When I arrived everyone was complaining. We finally walked off the job after getting no answers. I was able to retrieve my worthless paycheck from the bank. On Saturday afternoon the BF called and told me if I wasn’t at work Monday I was fired. He then told me he was a good union man. If that is good, then I’m not interested in his type of union. I told him I would work until coffee break, but if the check bounced; I was out of there. At nine, we all piled into the company van, went to the bank where our checks were cashed. Crisis averted. The next payday the Project manager handed us our paychecks and asked us not to cash them until noon. Well, I called the bank who said there wasn’t enough money in the account to cash my paycheck, let alone the other thirty checks that the crew was holding. Someone asked me what the bank said; I answered honestly, but said maybe the Project Manager was going to make a deposit which is why he asked us to wait. Then I went back to work. I was installing a temporary waterline from the back of the building to the front for the masons. At 11:55, I shut off my torch and jumped into the van to go to the bank where our checks all cashed. At 2 PM, BF was chewing my ass; telling me I was fired for causing a work stoppage on the job. Despite me explaining to him I had nothing to do with anyone not working, especially as my partner and I had been balls to the walls all morning, he refused to back down. I called my BA whose idea of backing me up was to send me to a different contractor the next day. While I was glad to have a job, I knew it was short term. I really wanted to stay on that job. Eventually the company was forced to leave after not being able to make payroll. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After another month off I went back to Byron Nuclear with my old buddy Gary W. This time I wasn’t on his crew, but we still hung out together. It was a good job, until one night at midnight, when I came in for lunch. I had a dozen voicemails from my siblings. I knew it couldn’t be good news, so I walked outside to call my youngest brother. My mother had passed away while sleeping in her favorite chair watching TV. She was only 77 and I was her baby girl. I started to walk back inside the break room with my arms wrapped tightly around me. As I have said before, nuke workers are a family. An Ironworker I had become friends with had been watching me and knew I was upset. He asked me if I was okay. I told him no and that my mother had died. He did the best thing possible; he hugged me tight until I stopped shaking. Then he brought me inside, told me to change out of my work clothes while he got my GF. By the time I changed, they had all the paperwork done so that I could leave. I will never forget the kindness shown to me that night. I had been mostly packed since the job was almost over anyway. I sent emails for my BAs/BM and friends and left for home. I took many calls as I drove the twelve hours home, but one really stuck out in my mind. Greg L called (for the second time) to make sure I was okay. I told him my phone was dying as I didn’t have a car charger. Sounding like a big brother, he insisted I stop, eat and charge my phone. Times like that are why I love my union family. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the funeral and reconnecting with family and friends, I rejoined my life. The rest of the year flew by in a whirl. It was a Congressional election year. I was working very hard to get our candidate elected. By then I had joined the Chemung County Democratic Committee and was very active in phone banks, get out the vote and a hundred other duties. Bryan A. called me for a job on Election Day at Anchor Glass. I told him I would go Thursday. It was a shutdown to replace old piping and install filters. It wasn’t hard, but it was filthy and hot. In addition, the GF had never worked with a woman before. His first question to me was what year apprentice I was. I told him I wasn’t just a pretty face. I actually knew what I was doing. By the end of the shutdown, he had come up with a new motto for me after watching me work. “Don’t piss off the Redhead!”

2005 Toshiba Final Tear OUt

At the very beginning of 2005, a very sad thing happened. The head honchos at Toshiba decided to dismantle the factory and send it to a non-union factory in Ohio. Hundreds of employees were laid off with no warning and limited severance packages. Mostly it was blue collar manufacturing people who had few other skills. Many had worked there all their lives as had their families. In addition, Toshiba regularly hired building trades’ members to renovate old or install new systems. The closing was going to have a large impact on the community. Strangely enough, I was hired to do the final tear out of the facility. We were to remove all the piping from the machines back to the main lines. This was to allow them to move the equipment to the new plant. It felt so wrong to tear out piping I had installed just years before. At the Labor Council, we gathered our resources and fought to keep the company alive. When that failed, we asked our elected officials in Albany and Washington for help. We needed training and job placements for the disenfranchised workers. We needed financial help for families until they could find other jobs. Not only was there a recession, but many manufacturing jobs were headed overseas. One night on behalf of the Labor Council, I attended a community meeting with our government representatives to discuss what help was available. I mostly listened to all the sad stories and the platitudes they were receiving from the politicians. Every morning there were 30 or 40 Hispanics leaving from the night shift as I came in to work. Since I spoke a little Spanish, when I asked they told me they were staying at a local fleabag hotel, in three rooms. I stood up at the meeting and asked why they weren’t using their own employees to do the unskilled part of the tear out. One woman responded that she was told she had to have a “card” to do the work. I laughed and said, “I’m not even sure they have green cards”. The company officials never had a reason for not keeping their people working as long as possible. The next morning at work, my foreman Billy F said the company manager wanted to see me. I asked him to stay with me as a witness while the manager chewed me out. The manager swore every one of those workers was legal; I was wrong to make such an accusation. I agreed I had no proof, but if he wanted I would write a letter to the paper apologizing. I think he realized that would make some reporter take notice and declined my offer. By the end of the meeting, we agreed to work on the same side, helping the Toshiba workers get a fair deal and some help along the way. As I was leaving, he said it was frustrating that he could never get through to our Senators. I said, “Really? Because they always get back to me!” I had started as President of the Labor Assembly thinking it was all social gatherings and parades. It was turning into something that filled my life with purpose. I thought we could make a difference and maybe change our little corner of the world.

2005 Labor and Work

In early 2004, I had been elected President of the Chemung Schuyler Labor Assembly. This is an organization that is comprised of over 40 local AFLCIO unions who represent over 10,000 members. I had really started to become active in politics and social causes as they affected working people. In the fall, we hosted our first ever meet the candidates’ night. We invited everyone from Presidential to town board candidates. I’ll be honest I had no idea how crazy it was going to be. At one point I was lying under a stainless tank at the cheese factory installing a valve when my phone rang. It was the President’s office calling to inquire about details. When it was determined that President Bush was unable to attend, they offered to send a letter. I suggested the topic be how much he had done for workers during his term. I never received that letter. In the course of that election, I met Senator Clinton as well as the NYS Governor and other officials. One thing I learned early on is that if you say labor, politicians’ heads swivel around, and they give the appearance of listening. Maybe I was supposed to not work for the past three years so that I could get so involved with the Labor Assembly. By 2005, I had attended many conferences and had learned to speak in public without throwing up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In March, I was once more back to Nine Mile. I was so comfortable there that it almost didn’t feel like traveling. I was able to get home to see the kids and check on the house on my day off. I would have dinner with friends and re-visit old haunts. In May I started with Kimble the company who had laid me off at Sullivan Park and who I thought would never hire me again. As it turned out the foreman Bill R, had been an apprentice a few years ahead of me. I overheard him tell someone he would rather have me on the job than many of my brothers. I knew I was qualified and a good worker, but sometimes just getting hired on the job is a challenge. The job was a major renovation at Ithaca College’s Garden apartments; new plumbing pipe and fixtures, as well as heating. It was a good job with good people. We had the tools and material we needed and everything ran pretty smoothly. The part that wasn’t great was that I in my infinite wisdom had decided to run for Business Agent after the death of our beloved BA, Steve White. There were 4 Southern Tier members running. Bryan A. ran together with Greg L and Brad W. I really felt Bryan was too young and inexperienced, though I knew he had a good union heart. Obviously others didn’t feel the same since he was elected with a wide margin. At the end of July, I left for an AFLCO convention in Chicago representing the Labor Assembly. My first night there I met President John Sweeny at a Students against Sweatshops fundraiser. He offered to introduce me to UA Pres Bill Hite. Well for three days I kept trying to meet him but apparently the UA contingent would stay for the morning speakers and then leave. So I left my card at his seat with a note reading, “Would like to discuss diversity within the UA.” A few minutes later I get a call from his assistant, Pat Perno. He informs me that the UA is diverse as Hell. I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry. I looked over at the dozen or so old white guys sitting at the UA table and knew they didn’t reflect the diversity of the country. Women comprise less than 3% of my union and minorities only slightly more. I said it then and I say it now; the UA has a long way to go in regards to diversity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After returning home, I was unemployed again. One Sunday night in late August, I was playing euchre online which I do a lot! My playing name is Pegdafittr. Frequently UA members see my name and stop to chat. Lucky for me Gary W, from Local 23 sat at my table that night. He said they had work at Byron Nuclear Plant and told me to have my BA call. First thing Monday morning Brad called. Next thing I know I am on my way to Rockford IL with a job and a place to stay with Gary’s sister in law. Gary and became good friends and still talk to each other regularly. From there, I went to Salem NJ for another Nuke. It is always hard to try something new, but I was fairly confident and competent in my skills. I discovered that nuclear workers tend to travel in packs, so that you frequently work with people you know. With the advent of cell phones and computers, communication with home was easier. But with all my traveling, nothing makes me happier than being home in my own bed with my babies! It drove my ex-husband crazy to have to take care of the kids, although he had help from his mother, but staying home wasn’t an option. Bryan never seems to be able to keep me working. I am perpetually on the short list of members not working.

2002 thru 2004 Part 2

The rest of 2003 was very interesting. In the summer, I took a short job at home at the Diesel Plant for Corning Glass. They were installing a new line, so there was lots of new piping to do. When that was finished, I started a Medical Gas Installers class. I figured the more you know the more helpful you are to the contractor; and the more employable. The day before I was supposed to take the exam my BA sent me to Lynchburg, VA for a training/job. This was probably one of the sweetest gigs I ever had. I was being paid for 60 hours weekly plus $100 per diem daily. We were doing some specialized training to replace nuclear workers who were getting close to their dose limits. The area was so beautiful and rich in history. While the rest of the guys were going to the bar and go-cart track, I was exploring the hiking trails and local sites. Thomas Jefferson had a home nearby called Poplar Forest that was fascinating. www.poplarforest.org The only part I didn’t like was the other guy from my home local, Mike F. The first night he had nowhere to stay, so I told him he could have the other bed in my room. I found brand new 1 bedroom efficiencies for $125 weekly. He was so cheap he wanted to share that too, but no way! I don’t share rooms when I am on the same shift. I need my privacy. He decided he was going to be my protector, as if I needed one. He would take tools out of my hands, follow me around when I was talking to the other guys, and just generally be annoying. One day I had a little cold and didn’t feel well, so he told the boss to send me home. I was furious. I told him in no uncertain terms that was unacceptable. I am a professional. It was definitely not up to him to tell anyone anything for me. He then proceeds to tell my BA that I didn’t want to go to another job after that one. I cleared that up right away. In the end, they didn’t need us after all, and I was sent home after two weeks with very fond memories of the area. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I had another shutdown at Toshiba over Christmas, but then nothing until 2004. In the spring of 2004, I was once again sent to Nine Mile Point. This time The G’s had found me a great house to rent. It was a converted bar/restaurant. It had a full commercial kitchen, a huge living/dining area, a bar/bathroom downstairs; five bedrooms and a large bathroom upstairs. I quickly filled it with brothers from my home local. We all chipped in and bought groceries. After in-processing I was put on night shift. Most days I would wake up, make dinner for everyone, then pack some food for myself and head to work. I was being trained to do Leak Rate Testing which involves pressuring one side of a valve, then measuring the pressure difference over a specific time period. It isn’t extremely difficult physically, but you did have to be very precise, learn to read the schematics, and to run the machine properly. Unfortunately they had over hired so I was laid off the day the outage started. I was really mad but there was nothing anyone could do about it. It was just the luck of the draw. In future times it was others that were let go while I stayed. For the next six months, I starved at home; working only two week long shut downs. By the Fall I was desperate, so I took a job in Glen Falls at a paper mill. I have never been so miserable. The conditions were filthy, the air was filled with particulates, and the other workers and boss simply didn’t know what to do with a female fitter. They actually asked me if I knew how to climb a ladder. By the fourth day I was calling my BA begging for another job. He sent me to Oswego to work a shutdown at the Steam Plant. My Foreman, Omar D, was great. At one point he told the other guys to watch me to see how it was done. We were disassembling 48” valves that had bolts holding the tops on that were humongous. The only way to loosen them was to take a wrench prop a hydraulic jack against it using that to turn them. It was all about brain not brawn. I was able to come home after that and finish out the year with two local shutdowns at the Polly-O Cheese factory on Campbell and Borg-Warner in Ithaca. That’s where I met a really good guy, Dave W. who was my foreman. He was very encouraging and even kept me longer than the other fitters on the job. For the past three years, I had worked less than 6 months annually. It was barely enough to pay my bills and I kept running out of medical insurance. I was thinking seriously about changing careers.

2002 thru 2004 Part 1

2002, 2003 and 2004 were very scary years for me. In 2002, I was laid off in March, worked a week shut down in June at Toshiba and did a 3 month school renovation from August until the end of October. Overall I worked just under 800 hours. I had run out of medical benefits, I was barely hanging on trying to pay my bills and cover expenses. Yet somehow that was also one of my favorite years. I had installed a pool anticipating working through the summer. The kids loved it! It was an especially hot summer, so they would invite friends up. I would supply watermelon, Kool-Aid and ice tea during the day; hot dogs and marshmallows on the campfire at night. I hosted a euchre tournament for about 30 people that I played with online. Everyone gave me money for food. What was supposed to be a long weekend party lasted 10 days. I would go to work everyday, but when I came home it was party time. I had so much energy then. In 2002, I had been appointed the UA Local 267 representative to the AFLCIO Chemung-Schuyler Central Labor Council. I had monthly meetings and was starting to get involved with politics and other causes. I know I managed it all, but I was incredibly busy even when not working. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In 2003, I decided if I was going to pay my bills I was going to have to hit the road. I took my first job at a Nuclear Power Plant, Nine Mile Point in Oswego, NY. I had gone to college at SUNY Oswego and still had many friends there. I hadn’t seen them in years however, but they welcomed me back with open arms. The G’s (Judy and Bob) found me a room to stay in over the Oswego Salmon Shop which is right on the river. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. The room was clean, had three beds, fridge and microwave and its own bathroom. I did joke with the owner about wanting a Jacuzzi, so he offered to let me sit in the minnow tank. I declined his offer. The first week of your first Nuclear job is quite an experience. They are trying to process in hundreds of workers; get them trained and tested properly, and placed with crews. As it turned out my good friend Judy P was involved with the in-processing. Judy and I had gone to college together. I had even introduced her to her husband. She knew all my secrets and proceeded to pull a major prank on me. While in college I had been caught painting the Elk at the Elks Club on Bridge Street. Not bragging, but I am the only person every caught and convicted of this crime; but not the first or last to have done it. At the time I was worried, but after repainting the Elk I then started dating one of the bartenders and working at the Club. So 25 years later, I had to list it as one of my “crimes” on my personal history questionnaire. When I arrived, Judy arranged that another person would be handling my case. “Everything seems to be in order.” She said. “But what’s this about an Elk incident?” Everyone I spoke to for the next week from security to the medical personnel asked the same question. Judy had set me up! When I “failed” my psych test, (I don’t think like a white male) I thought it was another set up and braced myself for the same question. But no I really had the doctor baffled. He couldn’t understand how a woman could be divorced and happy being single. He kept trying to get me to say I was a lesbian. It was very bizarre, but somehow I convinced him I was sane and not a threat to the Nuclear world. During training I had befriended a guy from Local 13 in Rochester who was going to be working days while I was on nights. I agreed to share my room. Great idea! He loved to cook and was fanatically clean. Every morning I would arrive home to a wonderful meal and immaculate room. I loved the whole experience. When we weren’t busy at work they allowed us to play cards. I won money every night playing Scat. I also won a check pool for over $1000. For four weeks, I worked 12 hour night shifts, slept like a baby and ate really well. The only time I missed was when I came home for my daughter’s opening night in Peter Pan. She was the cutest Smee ever, but I was exhausted.

2001 Athens High School

Sometimes when you least expect it things work out just as they should. Within a week of being laid off at Sullivan Park I was sent to Athens High School, a job 10 minutes from my house. The ironic part is that I was officially a traveler! The job was in the jurisdiction of a PA local, but none of their members wanted it because it was so far north for them. It was a simple renovation of the heating and plumbing system expected to last six months. The foreman, Chris C., was nice enough to allow me to continue to come in late twice weekly so that I could maintain my child sharing agreement. However, he made me work late those days which was just fine with me too. By then I was getting very close to being officially divorced. Three years of arguing and heartache! It took that long for a number of reasons. At the beginning my husband didn’t want it, and then he got angry wanting everything I had now and in the future, but mostly is was that I had a lousy lawyer. To finally settle it, I agreed to pay child support because I made more than him. However, I did get in the agreement that every six months we would look at our individual incomes and that I would only be obligated to pay 25% of the difference of our salaries. The judge simply couldn’t wrap his head around the concept of such fluctuations in salary. I would go from $2000 weekly to $405 unemployment with no control over it. If I took time off for a doctors appointment, sick child or vacation I received no pay at all. He said it wasn’t fair that the kids would have to suffer because of it. I explained that they have always known that when I am working we splurge; when I am not we eat mac ‘n cheese! Ken’s income had no influence on the family finances at all. I also was able to get him to sign off on my retirement and annuity as I signed of on his. I didn’t think being married 3 years entitled him to my future income. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The funniest thing that happened to me on the job was that a mason’s tender (the poor guy who lugs up all the brick and block for the mason to install) had a crush on me. I was at least 20 years older than this skinny little kid. He wrote in the Portajohn, “I love redheaded Plummers”. I knew it was him because it was like having a puppy dog following me around when he could. At the Christmas party, I was sitting at the bar talking to the office girl when I felt something. I turned around and he was petting my hair! I gave him “The Look” and he stopped. Once more I felt something. Now he was petting the sleeve of my velvet shirt. “Really?” I said. “I am much too old for you.” “I like older women.” He replied. “Well, I don’t like men who like older women. Go away” So while it was good for the ego, I was quite content with my life as it was. I had a long distance romantic relationship that fulfilled my need for intellectual conversation, a good job that let me pay my bills and sleep at night, and my kids seemed to have adjusted to our disjointed living arrangements. Life was good!