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An Awful Title in the Life of a Labor Pool Worker

Sept. 27, '89ev

Michael Tolson

4:30AM
alarm clock sounds - awaken after perhaps 5&1/2 hrs of sleep

4:40AM
leave to walk to labor pool office

5:20AM
arrive at office where approximately 35 blacks are already waiting

the author is the only white on the workers' side
2 fat white guys & 1 middle class looking black guy are behind the counter
informed that arrival before 5:00AM earns the worker $3.75 hrly, arrival between 5:00AM & 5:30AM earns $3.50 hrly, & arrival between 5:30AM & 6:00AM earns $3.35 hrly
given that the workers don't leave the office 'til 6:00AM at the earliest, this means that, if 1 works 8 hrs, 1 can make $2.80 (minus taxes) daily more for waiting in the office an hr before leaving!

6:00AM
transportation to the job site is mandatorily in the labor pool van (for wch they charge) - even though getting there by bus can be quicker

leave in over-crowded van for job - 6 blacks & 1 white (the author) arrive at roofing company by 6:15AM - all of the regular employees are white
10 minutes later, 1 of the white guys asks: "Who here's supposed to see Fred?"
that turns out to be the author who becomes thusly further singled out from his fellow workers by being taken elsewhere than they were

6:30AM
the author leaves with Fred in a dump truck

the noise of which makes understanding/hearing Fred's friendly patter difficult
as response to the author's questioning, Fred, apparently, explains that he's been a bank robber but that he can't/won't do that anymore & that he'd supported himself as a labor pool worker for 2 yrs before landing this job

6:50AM
arrive at the job-site where the author is given rudimentary instruction in the use of a (supposedly) $85,000 vacumn cleaner the size of a van

ascension to the roof, where Fred & the author vacumn stones & otherwise work

2:00PM
the author takes a lunch break - eating a potted meat, mustard, & white bread sandwich generously & sympathetically proferred by Fred who has some understanding of the author's economic despair

3:30PM
leave w/ dump truck w/ stones etc from roof to go to "dump" (i.e.: land "owned" by a rich guy who owes Fred money) to get rid of stones & get $5 payment from rich guy towards debt

4:00PM
arrival at liquor store/deli where Fred buys a hot-dog for himself & a 16 oz can of beer for the author & for himself

4:30PM
arrival at roofing company where Fred punches time clock etc after which the author & Fred leave for the bus stop

4:50PM
arrival at bus stop - bus arrives soon thereafter - leaving Fred off downtown around 5:10PM & the author near the labor pool office near 5:20PM

5:25PM arrival at the labor pool office where 4 blacks who had already arrived from working for the roofers & 1 other black awaited their daily checks

when the white business owner called out my name, the black(s) said "He can wait his turn like the rest of us" (even though the owner wasn't actually doing the author a favor) - to which the author replied "I can wait"
resulting in increased politeness on the part of the black workers toward the author - talk of buying dope on the part of the blacks & bullshit about being a student w/ 3 dependents to try to speed up the check writing process

5:55PM
after receiving a check for $24.71 (for 9&1/2 hrs work), the author waiting at a bus stop - arrival of the bus at 6:10PM

6:30PM
arrival at friendly bookstore where check can be cashed w/out charge

complaining about job to friends there 'til 6:45PM

7:00PM
arrival at home after buying pint of rum & 2 liters of soda - fixing a meal & complaining w/ friends (+ other conversation) via phone & in person

8:25PM
getting drunk & reading letter to a friend in scotland while bathing & shaving

8:45PM
beginning to attempt writing description of day even though drunkenness is substantially interfering

9:25PM
interruption by phone call from friend about his trying to get the author a job (unsuccessfully) followed by another drink

9:30PM
resumption of the poorly progressing text

10:25PM
end of text (?) followed by attempt to sleep in preparation for another day like this 1

10:30PM
phone call from girlfriend

B. Traven, where are you when we need you now?

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