Three Things We Didn't Talk About

[Dave Fleming]

Women Politics Religion

Ayup, I am talking about small yards here not the 1000+ man places.

Before work it was pretty quiet with perhaps a few mumbles about traffic or the weather or the current projects. Watchman had the coffee pot on and it was a very welcome thing especially in wet rainy weather.

Break time might be about boats worked on in the past, what you had for dinner last night, how the kids were behaving or for some baseball or football.

Lunch was pretty much the same just nice and quiet and with some scattered conversations. We all ate in the same room it was big enough to scatter out a bit. Folks would gravitate to sit with certain others. We would eat and sometimes share food together. All the while tossing comments across the room about this and that.

See you had to get along with everybody because you didn't know from day to day who you were going to be working with besides your partner.

Getting along was the most important thing.

Oh sure there would be some nimrod who would come into the yard when the rush was on. Fellow from the out of work list at the Hall. All kinds, from the know it all to the slacker to the sneak. They didn't last long.
No real cold shoulder but definitely a chill surrounded them.
They knew it and knew also that they were on a short term work assignment. So you might hear from one of them something like, 'well ya know I am just here filling in my time til that big job over at Gilhooleys opens up. Yeah I will probably be leadman on one of the crews and making more than scale too.'.
Little did he know that most of us were making above scale!
(scale= the wage for a shipwright specified in the Union Contract as a
minimum per hour rate. Nothing prevented an employer from paying more than scale and many did.)
A couple of weeks pass and the push was over. Nimrod gets his final check. Packs up his tool chest and was out the gate. Words were passed to the effect..."bet he cashes that check at the nearest saloon before he even signs up on the list at the Hall".
And more than likely true.

The big places were different and I plain didn't care for working in them unless it was the Loft or Mill.

[mmd]

I hear ya, Dave. Up in the Ivory Tower the pencil-pushers and number-crunchers followed pretty much the same routine, 'cept new ideas and concepts about boats' and ships' bits and parts had a higher currency than down on the shop floor, so talkng shop about new boat designs and equipment was pretty prevalent during break times. With the advent of computers, a lot of spare yarnin' time is spent on discussing newly discovered techniques or applets to make the job easier and faster. Common interest stuff like new tools, last night's supper, the latest home-improvement project held a lot of sway, as did new baby photos, achievments of older children, and bad jokes. Argueing about politics, salacious talk of sexual matters, and espousing of one's religious beliefs were done privately or outside the office. Everybody understood implicitly that those were divisive topics and would upset the productive and cooperative atmosphere of the office. And get the Chief Draftsman in a sour mood, which boded well for no one.

[Alan D. Hyde]

The younger participants here may not know it, David, but, at least around where I worked as a boy, back then, when those emotional topics were discussed and a guy didn't have the right words, a right cross was thought a good substitute.

So, in the better class of workplaces, in the interest of peace, men tried to avoid such topics.

BTW, women back then were thought entitled to deliver a resounding SLAP to any man who offended their sensibilities... :D

Alan

[Dave Fleming]

a right cross was thought a good substitute.
Not to digress to far from my original theme but, any fighting on the job was cause for immediate dismissal. No ifs ands or buts, period.

I cannot recall any such situation arising.
Only heated words were more than likely between two folks of the same nationality ie: Manuel and Mario the Portugese shipwrights at A&C.
They would be working together and all of a sudden the 'jabbering' would reach a fever pitch and Al would yell over at them,'goddamn Portagoosies stop yer yellin' and get that goddamn plank on!'. It stopped immediately.
Or the brothers, Dabber and Wesley, would be bickering about who was going to take Mother to church the next Sunday. 'cause that meant the looser had to be up and sober early on Sunday morning and neither was too happy about that!

[Alan D. Hyde]

How about in school, Dave?

When a fight would start in the locker room, we'd make a circle around the guys fighting, and yell advice or encouragement. Breaking up a fight was pretty thankless, and we didn't normally do it unless there was a bad mis-match.

The gym teacher or coach would come over, usually to suggest that people fight fair, and to keep others from ganging up, although if it got really bad, he might stop a fight.

Alan

[ 04-15-2004, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]

[Hwyl]

Dave, the unwritten rules in your shop (where I worked it was a little different "religion, politics and other peoples wives" which let you talk about some women) as I was saying, the same rules should apply to at least the non bilge section of the WBF

[PeterSibley]

I remember working at a place up in the bush where fighting was absolutely forbidden.In case of a blue both parties were on the plane out the next day. So those who really had to settle it would be driven 5 miles out into the scrub by their mates...so as to find a little privacy and left to walk back afterwards, no one wanted to be associated with idiots.All in all it was a major disincentive to fighting...it was a good place to work . smile.gif

[buhmkin]

It took me a minute, but I get it. Dave, you're throwing down a gauntlet here, maybe intentionally, maybe not.

At first I was contrary, our shop is 14 guys and we regularly banter about all three of these things (women yes, others' wives no). But we're small enough and all get along well enough that it has only come to be that way through mutual respect and appreciation. It only takes a single fool a couple of days to make break times pretty quiet.

And then I read the responses.

Personally I endorse the taboofication of all three subjects on the WBF entirely, at least, as Hwyl already said, above the bilges.