By Herb Mills

Page 10

Then. too, some of the brothers were not adverse to getting together for a drink or two following the end of their shift. Endless conversation thus ensued. As might be supposed, such conversation frequently drifted to the work and to union matters.

But the men were also known to discuss such diverse topics as "women," baseball, gambling and horse racing, "capitalistic exploitation" and "the profit motive," fascism, and, of course, the great depression-that unforgettable fountain of experience from which they had all been obliged to drink. There emerged a quite extraordinary world of discussion, reflection, and debate.

The opportunity for conversation did in no way end when the men "turned-to" for work at the beginning of their shift or when they returned from lunch or supper. There was little machine noise (and no sustained machine noise) either on the dock or in the cargo sheds.

This was also true aboard ship, except when older "Johnson-bar" steam winches were being used, but even then the cycle of the cargo hook meant that the clattering of the hoisting gear was at least intermittent.

Then, too, the pace and cycle of the work between the "inshore" and "offshore" sides of the hold invariably allowed the holdmen to converse while "the hook kept moving" and the work proceeded.

There were two sets of circumstances, however, in which a longshoreman would invariably terminate an on-the-job conversation. First, when he felt that a man with whom he was working was intentionally failing to do his share; and second, the "silent treatment"was administered when a man refused to work in a safe and sensible manner.

To put the matter simply, one did not converse with a man who failed to reflect a sense of pride and community in accomplishing the work at hand. At this point, then, the discussion comes full circle-the nature and structure of the work was such that it could give rise to a community and brotherhood of men who took pride in its performance.

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