It galled me to no end over the years.
At one time the company issued coveralls at no cost to the employee. I kept two or three sets on board and seldom needed to replace them unless they got torn or so greasy they couldn't be washed. It was a pretty good deal.
Needless to say, a handful of people took advantage of it and stories about how some tug skippers would throw a case full of them in their cars started making the rounds. It really got to be ridiculous.
Stories that half the mechanics in Matthews County were wearing company coveralls made the rounds. The clincher was when one of the company higher-ups reported to having seen someone wearing a set of them in Arizona when he went there.
That ended that.
Once in a while when we had company meetings at the home office they would take the whole push of us out to dinner at a really nice place. Dinner, drinks, the whole shooting match.
I liked those meetings because the office people were there and you got to meet them face to face and then afterwards I'd a face attached to the voice you spoke with occasionally on the phone.
Anyway, we were eating at the nicest place in town one cold winter night and instead of standing out in the cold for a few minutes to grab a quick smoke a couple of the usual chowderheads sneaked into the men's room and lit up.
Customers complained and we were told not to come back again. The following year we had a catered buffet at the company office IIRC. Oh, well.
It was always the usual small handful of idiots that seemed to ruin everything.
Then there was the imbecile that was supposed to do a cargo transfer at a certain dock in the south that had a reputation for strict safety standards. The dock crew wore Nomex coveralls and although we were supposed to also they conditionally waivered that rule and permitted us to load and discharge there so long as we wore long sleeved coveralls, sleeves down and buttoned at the wrist.
This clown came out on deck clad only in cutoffs and flip-flops. When the dockman said something to him he started with an epic answer of monumental stupidity. "I'm the captain of this barge and I'll decide what to wear on this deck."
He was immediately ordered to sail and the entire office (rightfully) went into an uproar. Strangely enough I don't believe he was fired and wonder why to this day. He certainly should have been and not for getting kicked off the dock but for the general principle of gross stupidity.
Immediately all tankermen were issued two pairs of tan colored long sleeved coveralls and were required to wear them on deck at all docks when on watch. Off watch if you had to go on deck it was long pants, a long sleeved shirt and work shoes, minimum. coveralls preferred. Needless to say, we were not all happy campers. The days of our happy go lucky slave rags were over.
Later I asked the VP of operations if I could, at my own expense get a set of khaki Dickies and have the company name stenciled on the back. He told me to go ahead not to even bother with stenciling them. He did say that if anyone asked that I had paid for them out of my own pocket. Fair enough! Win/win.
I liked the guy even though a lot of people were afraid of him. While occasionally I didn't get my way with him he was a really straight shooter and was the epitome of fair and reasonable. Underneath it he occasionally showed a pretty good sense of humor.
On day he boarded us unannounced and saw a Skoal can on the table. It had been relabeled 'Give a F**k'. he picked it up, opened it and said, "It's empty!"
"Dammit! It's my last can!" I shot back and he almost fell over laughing and asked if I could make him one. I told him to just take that one and it remained on his desk for years.
The company used to put is up in pretty good rooms when we traveled but you know how that goes. Someone got drunk and trashed a room. We got relegated to the Red roof. Actually they should have simply fired the wrongdoer and be done with it but they didn't.
Later on the guys started complaining about hookers knocking on their doors at all hours to ply their wares. The complaint was bona fide, actually. It happened to me a number of times. I remember asking one hooker dryly if she took VISA. She was not amused.
They relented but not before they said that anyone that damaged anything would be out a job. We got bumped up a step and managed to get uninterrupted sleep afterwards.
Incidentally in the lobby of the new place in the lobby near the vending machine some woman came onto me. I was in my mid 60s at the time. When I asked her, "How's business, officer?" her jaw dropped and she quietly asked me how I knew she was a cop.
I told her it was because she was fit and showed no signs of drug abuse. It really was obvious to a good eye.
Still, it seemed that every time the company tried to do something nice for the guys the usual gang of idiots would ruin it.
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