It was one of those Mondays at the sawmill today. Day after Grey Cup. Everybody fucking hungover just a little worse than most Mondays. Fewer hours of sleep than usual. The cocaine boys had not slept at all. It was like living with the occupants of the Belmont Hotel before fentanyl came to town.
The foreman were worst off of all. Motherfuckers had a wing-ding that would kill just about anybody who was not already half dead from working in a sawmill their whole fucking lives.
The day went just about the same as any Grey Cup or Super Bowl Monday: Somewhat unproductively. Every time it looked like the milmight get a little flow going somebody from the union or a fucking foreman sabotaged something and brought everything to a halt. Without the sabotage there would have been casualties. Do not need that shit a month before Christmas.
Just the same I had a busy day in the first aid room. Every sliver, nick and speck of dust (real or imagined) gets brought to my attention the day after big game days.
Asked everybody how their party went as I slowly attended to their needs.
"Great whisky," "Great strippers," "Coke that would bring Castro back to life," were popular answers.
Asked my foreman about his party after lunch when he had begun to look like he was from the same species as me. "Great whisky, great strippers, coke cut with meth and the best toothless hookers this side of the motherfucking Alberta border."
Fucking foreman always want it known their parties are better than the ones we hold on the union side. Only times that was not true over the years was when we had Angels on the shop floor.
4 comments:
This o/t, but here goes...
Fracking, the goo that goes to ground: What is in it?
Nobody wants to say [trade secret], But what are the first-aiders told about it in case a worker gets splashed, inhales, or ingests that stuff - how are you suppose to treat for it if you don't know what's in it?
Never mind first aid - all workers are meant to be informed about all the chemicals where they work. All. One law for the fossil fuel industry - one law for us?
Hey Mr Beer
I just love your blog cause see, my Daddy worked in a mill after he came home from WWII (is that Great War No. 2?) anyhow, I was six when he came strolling down our driveway in Hammond and I didn't know who the fuck he was! However, the old Hammond Cedar Mill stepped up to the plate and hired just about every poor schmuck that survived and came home. But, the guys who found a reason not to enlist all had the foreman and better jobs in the mill. Had to start on the green chain.
Anyhow, short of a long story, my Dad became a member of the IWA (mandatory in those days) and ended up being President of that Local. Interesting times, Joe Morris ran Vancouver, Rae Eddie ran New West and Dad's went from Pitt River Bridge, both north and south of the Fraser and all the up to Boston Bar.
As an amateur genealogist, I look at Voters' Lists and in my little burg, nearly every man was employed at the mill and none of the wives worked out of the home, yet somehow they managed to make ends meet and raise their families which were more than the 1.8 kids average of today. Haven't time changed??
So, keep up the Dope City Press and I will keep up enjoying what you write. P.S.
Been a rock n roller since 1955! Still got my half of the Elvis ticket from 1957.
Red Robinson was our go-to-guy for music then. Take care! Keep blogging.
It was guys like your dad who I worked with in my first sawmill. They were some tough. Being out of Hammond, I bet your dad was one fuck of a good union man.
Thanks for your kind words.
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