IRON WORKERS SAGA  

By Marty Rice
Welding Instructor
Dale Jackson Career Center
Lewisville, Texas  

“OH NO!!!” Mick yelled out loud as he looked at the clock.  He had overslept for the third Monday in a row and last Friday the boss had warned him “three strikes and you're out!”  He threw on a shirt, grabbed some jeans and jumped into his Redwings without bothering to lace them.  His neighbor laughed as she saw him run down the hallway of their apartment building literally leaping into his truck, and screeching his tires on the way out of the parking lot.

“Late as usual,” Harry griped as he got in at their carpool meeting spot.  “Yeah, being on time is not a word in his vocabulary,” laughed Bill, the other Iron Worker riding with them. 

“I've got a great idea,” Mick muttered as he waited for the door to shut.  “How about both of you shutting your fat mouths for more than 2 seconds!”  Mick set out on the highway for the 120 mile trek to the dam they were building in New Mexico.  He had promised himself after working two and a half years at a power house 100 miles away; he would never work far from home again.  But after calling the union hall a million times, the dam was the only job going on.  And in the Iron Working Trade one must travel to where the work is.  When the work ain’t close, you hit the road. 

There wasn't much for lodging around the dam, and he sure wasn't going to live in some lousy little trailer.  Especially with some loud snoring Iron Worker room mate like some of the guys did. What a life!  Work all day, sit around and play cards all night.  No thanks!

So Mick and some of his buddies would carpool the 120 miles down I-40 every day to the job site.  It really wasn't that bad as long as there was good conversation and hot coffee.  But after a while the same ol' stories would start to get old! 

“You told us that one last week, you lying goof!” Harry yelled out to Bill in the backseat.  “Except last week you said it was someone else who saved the crane operator from getting fried.  Now all of the sudden you're the #^@*_*# hero!” 

Harry was referring to Bill's account of a crane operator at a previous job being shocked after his rig hit a set of power lines.  Power lines kill more crane operators than any other hazard.  Seems an Iron Worker had jumped up on the treads and grabbed the operator out of the cab with a tree limb shaped like a hook.  He had grabbed it from a nearby tree and it kept him insulated.  When the operator hit the ground, something happened causing him to come to and he survived with only some burns and bruises from hitting the ground. 

Bill was known to “extend” the truth and Harry had just about had enough of his talk.  He had endured in silence story after story until, like a volcano, he finally erupted.  “To heck with you, you weren't there!” Bill shouted back.  “No, to heck with you, you lying fool!” Harry shot back.  “To heck with both of you!” yelled Mick.  “Knock it off before you make me have a wreck!” 

Heading out of Texas they could see the Cap rock as they descended down into the plains.  “This is God's country” Mick thought to himself as he started to head off of I-40 turning north. It was beautiful with herds of antelope and rolling hills building up into the beginning of the Rockies.  Before long they were at the dam on Ute Lake.  Rumor was there was a big lay off coming and all three Iron Workers wondered if they would be on it. 

The sky had been gray with huge puffy clouds the whole way up, and now it was starting to drizzle.  The wet rain was mixed with small icy particles that soon turned to snow.  Mick knew it as soon as he saw the general foreman's face.  The layoff was today.

“You guys take it easy Mick,” Steve said as he handed him a cup of hot java.  “Gotta let all three of you go today as we're scaling down to just one crew.  Sorry to do it on a Monday but I got ya'll a “ringer” to leave on!” 

A ringer was a 40-hour week and all three guys were happy about that.  Usually no one ever got anything at the end of a job except for the check they had coming.  Steve had gotten them a full week’s pay.  All of the sudden the lay off didn't seem so bad.  Even though he had no idea where he'd head from here, at least now he knew he'd do it with a thousand bucks in his pocket.

Next: Driving home in the blizzard, then heading to Florida...I hear there's a bridge going up there.