San Francisco Waterfront History
San Francisco Waterfront History
The San Francisco Waterfront
The Social
Consequences of Industrial Modernization
Part One; "The Good Old Days"
By Herb Mills
Page 12
They also understood that any particularly difficult or unique situation would most certainly require consultation and discussion. Since the men enjoyed an on-going opportunity to exercise and display their experience, skill, and ingenuity, they also enjoyed the opportunity of taking pride in their work. Given these circumstances and the fact that over time he would work with many of his fellow longshoremen, a man could become known as "a really good stevedore."
Such a reputation signified more than the possession of a considerable skill and experience and an ability to innovate. It signified and constituted a public recognition of a man's unfailing willingness to exercise his skills on behalf of his fellow workers. While the employer naturally stood to benefit from such a contribution, "a good idea" or "move" was viewed as essentially intended to benefit one's fellow workers.
The reason for this was that the men understood that the work at hand would, in any event, have to be accomplished. 6. Thus, a man most clearly expressed and displayed his sense of community and union with his fellow longshoremen by the pride which he took in performing the work. Indeed, the contributions which a "good" longshoreman routinely made were universally viewed as the most concrete and persuasive of all possible expressions of brotherhood.
But, what of the community/union status of the man who-in the judgment of yet another man-was possessed of average ability? There are several dimensions to this question. To begin with, the criterion of brotherhood and community was not the exercise of some considerable skill and ingenuity, but a willingness to contribute as one could to the performance of the work.
This criterion might also be applied with some considerable compassion. For example, the alcoholic, the "character," the man who was "messed up" or "messed over," and "the fo-fo," i.e., the man who never really did "catch on," were nearly always "carried' or "covered" by their fellow workers. In fact, it was for most men a very important part of brotherhood and community "to carry" such a man so as to protect him from an employer-imposed discipline and penalty.
