By Herb Mills

Page 13

Granted the presence of such compassion, the real "line" was drawn against the man who had earned the reputation of simply being "lazy." In other words, and to put the matter bluntly as did the men, a well perceived and important distinction was made between "the f--k-up" and "the f--k-off." It was one thing for a man to have a certain "failing."

That could be the lot of anyone. But the man who would "lay back" avoiding whatever work he could was simply seen as deliberately "putting the hurt" on the other men. Indeed, since the feeling against being thus exploited by another "union brother" was extremely strong, the man who had a reputation for "laying back" might be "left on his own" even when that would interfere with the conduct of an operation.

Within these parameters, the "average" man was viewed by his fellow longshoremen as always being eager to contribute to getting the work accomplished. As a rule, the average man was also known to have occasionally "come up with a damn good idea."

These circumstances were reflected in two of the sayings which were current on the waterfront: (1) "When it comes to longshoring, you can learn from any man." These egalitarian insights were common coin because they were deeply rooted in the concrete work experience of the men. Every man had occasionally been assisted by someone who in his judgment was an "average"—or less than average-longshoreman.

By the same token, then, and through his demonstrated readiness "to lend a hand" on the job, the average man had made it clear that he was, indeed, "a pretty good union man and brother."

In sum, the work which was performed by the San Francisco longshoremen in the "good old days" required initiative, ingenuity, a willingness to cooperatively innovate, and a wide range of skills and experience.

Given this and the social organization which had come to distinguish their occupation, the great majority of men routinely took pride in contributing as best they could to accomplishing the work.

By the same token, the great majority routinely availed themselves of the opportunities which the work so frequently afforded them to express their feelings of community and union with their fellow workers.

Next Page

Page Directory