It's Over

With a couple of men from California hanging the drywall it wasn’t long before the project was back in the black. And then it was time for the tapers (Painters) union to go through the same exercises. The union insisted that we do all of the taping by hand; no machines allowed. Negotiations ensued. A deal was struck and a minimum number of the Ames tools were allowed on the project. We were definitely luckier than the painting contractor on this project. He had to paint a two story department store with 4” brushes; no rollers allowed!

With the coming of spring I was finished with the project and desperate to come home. And to celebrate, I decided to take that final flight home on the new 747 aircraft. The plane was too large to land at Newark Airport at the time so I had to schedule a flight from JFK in New York. And that meant a commuter helicopter ride from Newark to JFK and crossing directly over Manhattan. Now that was fun! We flew in among the skyscrapers and I remember looking down and seeing fire engines and police cars racing through the streets. With the noise from the helicopter engines drowning out any other noise, I could only imagine the sirens…

I remember that you couldn’t really get a grasp of the size of the 747 from inside the terminal; it was only after you walked down the jetway and entered the aircraft that the immensity impacted you. Wow! The plane wasn’t even half full and I had a window seat and a row all to myself. On takeoff, I remember that the blue runway lights kept coming and coming and coming…would we ever get into the air?

Of course the plane lifted off as planned and then it became apparent that the size of the plane was giving us a smoother ride than I had ever experienced before. So smooth that the drinks served in the bar never even showed a ripple. Yes, there was a bar, upstairs. A semi-circular stairway took you up to the lounge. I remember that they had an old-fashioned popcorn machine up there as well. What a way to fly!

5 hours later and I was home. Ready to begin a new project somewhere. But would there be any work in LA? Times were tough once again and we hadn’t been able to secure much in the way of future work.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors

After a few more weeks of trying to increase production with my inexperienced crew, it became obvious that I would have to 'import' some labor from California if I wanted to make a profit on this job.

I approached the Carpenter's Business agent with that idea and was quickly turned down. "my men can do anything that you need done!" he replied.

After that encounter I was talking with the local material dealer and he informed me that I would have to bribe the business agent if I needed any favors; telling me exactly how it should be done. I would have to invite Eddie to lunch and I would have to arrive first, bringing a plain envelope with about $500 in it. This I would place on his side of the table. After he arrived, we would speak of nothing important, just chatting and then I would excuse myself...saying I had to return to the jobsite. The envelope would remain.

Well, that worked and when I approached Eddie once again, I was told that could bring 2 men from California...but they could not work directly with his men (no contamination!) and they had to work in the areas of the job where they wouldn't be seen; stock rooms and areas like that.

It was worth it and I sent for two drywall hangers. And when they arrived...what a difference! Drywall was going up on the walls as it should. Fast. Despite the ban on Eddie's men seeing this kind of work, they did see it and were suitably impressed, and they tried to emulate the boys from California. Just what Eddie was afraid of!

All in all, it was worth every penny of the $500.

More about Edison

I said it could get worse...After a few weeks of framing lessons and some 'real' framing, I was ready to start installing some drywall. So I had to order some. I called the local material dealer where I already had an account and asked him to deliver a truckload of drywall.

The next day was cold and snowy but the truck showed up on time...and so did a Laborer's Business Agent. He informed me that I would have to sign an agreement to hire laborers to unload the truck, and the truck, which had a boom lift, was too close to the building, It seemed that the driver was a Teamster and they weren't allowed to be within x number of feet of a construction site. Of course I became indignant and said that unloading drywall was carpenters work anyway...certainly not a laborers. (I was hoping to gain the support of the Carpenters Union) I was ignored and the truck drove away.

I thought it was strange that the Laborer's agent showed up on the same day I ordered the material. I'd never seen him before this. So I waited a few days and called for the material again. And the next day the truck arrived, followed by the Laborer's agent. Same story. I tried it a few more times and then got the connection. Duh! Material house+telephone=Laborer's Agent. And so I called my boss and asked him, what do you want me to do?

It was agreed that we would hire laborers and sure enough, once I did that, all troubles ceased as far as material orders went. The truck, which had a boom that could drop a load of material right in the building, parked a hundred feet away and the laborers would hand carry it, one sheet at a time to the building. All day long.

And I shouldn't forget the payroll problems...we were told that since we were an out of state contractor, we couldn't pay by check. We had to have pay envelopes and fill them with cash each week. A local bank provided that service. (How opportune!) And once a week I would drive into town and pick up the payroll and transport it back to the jobsite. It was scary. I would have about $20,000 in cash, so I would watch my rearview mirror carefully and always took a different route. Let me tell you; New Jersey was a real fun place!