|
In the late 70's I was the Chief Administrative Officer (a/k/a Deputy Mayor) of the city of Newton, MA. It was an affluent suburb just west of Boston with a population then of about 90,000. One of my jobs was negotiating the union contracts. We had some knock down, drag out fights and AFSME was often involved because how Newton went, so went the State, as they used to say. I was probably the first woman those guys ever negotiated with but that's another story. After one really tough labor/management face off that was finally settled I was paid a visit by a member of the labor bargaining team, a guy named Danny who was a foreman in the Sewer Department...a really scary looking guy (he was missing most of his teeth)who was, to me, one of the really tough guys on the Labor Team (and I was convinced he hated me). He poked his head in my office and said "I want your kid on my team." I said, "what team" thinking my 7 year old son (Will Pitt for those of you who dodn't know) was a little too young for the union. "My Pop Warner football team" he replied. After a little back and forth about where and when, I said OK and he said "Just bring a cup." I said, "a cup?" He said, "Jesus, Jane, an athletic cup." I said "oh, OK".
Thus began Will Pitt's short lived football career. Every Saturday we would show up at Arbermarle Field and every game Will would play. He was smaller than everybody else and Danny (the scarey labor guy) would tell him to grab on to the waist of someone on the other team and just hold on. And Will would do just that and be dragged down the field. But he played and he loved it!
I was in Law School at night then so I would bring a law book and sit in the stands and watch my little peanut of a son doggedly holding onto the "big boys" for dear life. I ended up talking with Danny's wife in those stands and learned that this scarey union guy had kids of his own but he and his wife were also foster parents for several disabled children...had been doing it for years.
Union people? Giving back, taking very little in return. I was never in a union...always on the management side but if I was in trouble, I'd want Danny manning my lifeboat.
|