I quit my job this morning. I’d like to think it was for good reasons, not that anyone needs a good reason to fuck off to greener pastures.
A little background: usually at work, my service calls are already lined up for the day, when I arrive in the mornings. I get my clipboard with a printout of the day’s agenda. This morning’s agenda had everything spelled out except for a 11am service call. Instructions simply said “meet maintenance at office at X complex, they will escort you to the unit you will be working in.” Fair enough, sometimes maintenance likes to act like the gatekeeper and I have to deal with pissy maintenance guys who feel professionally snubbed because Im on site to do the work instead of them.
Except when I arrived it was a property manager, two maintenance workers and three cops. I knew right away what the jig was. Forced service disconnects for non payment. Not the first time Ive been in this situation.
Since the complex in question is on an old common meter setup there is no way for the city to just flip a switch and shut off individual service remotely. In cases like this, Im supposed to be the switch flipper.
Because there is no individual shutoffs, I am supposed to enter a stranger’s apartment, go to each individual fixture (each lavatory, each water closet, kitchen sink, water heater etc) shut the stops off, then physically remove the handles and cut the stems off and render the shutoff inoperable. Then, after the tenant makes arrears, they are required to call a plumber, set an appointment, and have said plumber come and install all new stops/shutoffs. On their own dime.
Once I figured out whats going on, I told my apprentice I was refusing the call and we were moving down the list. Didnt even tell the complex manager I was leaving. When I got to my next service call about ten minutes later, the GPS on my service truck ratted on me. It tells the office when I arrive at the physical location of my service calls. Office manager at the shop wants to know how I finished the disconnects inside ten minutes? Told her I refused the calls, and that they would have to reschedule with someone else. Manager says there is no one else, and I have to go back, right now. I told her I’d drop my apprentice off with another journeyman and I’d be in to the shop to hand in my truck keys and clear my personal shit from the office. I was pretty explicit that my apprentice didnt have any choice in my decisions and that it was mine alone. He is an 18 year old kid with a newborn at home. He shouldnt be made to suffer for my choices.
I start at another shop Monday.
In all likelihood, I only bought the tenants until Tuesday or Wednesday to get squared up with the complex office. The complex office isnt likely to call the shop I used to work at again, so it’ll take a few days to schedule another shop to deal with it. The police escort will have to be rescheduled. I have doubts as to whether I did anything to benefit the folks living in these units but I have to hold out some hope that its enough time for them to figure something out. Its all I could come up with on the spot.
Read the whole thing. You definitely did something to help these people. You did a real solidarity and that helps them, you, and everyone else that matters in this situation.
First off, completely uncritical support. That shows a lot of backbone.
But also, the maoist uprising against the landlords was the largest and most comprehensive proletarian revolution in history, and led to almost totally-equal redistribution of land among the peasantry.
I dont think im presented with many crystal clear examples of what the right thing to do is. Im a middle aged lib at the best of times, this was a moment to put my money where my mouth was, for lack of a better cliche.
…. That was actually me, on another account. Ive done this a handful of time over the last ten years or so, the last time it happened about 12-18 months ago. Same situation, same results pretty much.
careful comrade, we've got pictures of you all over the site, it's bad for opsec:
seriously im so glad nobody ever asks me to do heinous shit like that at work. the closest thing is when i used to work retail and they'd tell me to be an asshole to the occasional homeless guy and i said no. dude can hang out near the entrance all he wants, you want him kicked out you've gotta do it yourself.
Anything counts comrade. It doesnt have to be a job quitting gesture. Showing some humanity to those who are at a low point is what makes us better than them (nazis i mean, not the homeless)
Id like to think my motives were purely altruistic but frankly ive been doing what i do long enough that ive got licensure and endorsements to sorta carry my ass.
Its how i got picked up somewhere else about an hour after i handed in my keys at one place. I dont wanna say much because i know theres comrades struggling to find work right now, and i dont want to be boastful.
Not only did you do right by your own morals, you did right by the tenant, and right by your apprentice, who will remember this day for the rest of his life
Hell yeah. It's good the apprentice got to see it too - people can be so scared for their jobs that seeing people standing tall for what they believe in is too rare. Hopefully they'll be willing to do what's right when the time comes. Congrats on the new job!
He is absolutely a good egg. He volunteers at a shelter near where he grew up. He’s called a few times asking for my help on the weekends because he’s trying to help someone in his neighborhood and got in a little over his head and needs technical assistance. He is wet behind the ears but at his age he is already pointed in a much better direction than i was. I had nothing to do with this, he’s just a good fucking person. Id like to think he’ll do whats right when push comes to shove.
Thank you. I do too. The company im moving to does a lot of utility work for the local city (gas taps on active lines, water taps on active lines) so ill be far removed from things like this.
I sorta feel like im just ducking my head in the sand because stuff like that still happens, but im only one person. I dunno. Anyway.
Thank you for what you did. I have met many in my community who have been in this situation, and those few extra days with power can make such a difference in one’s life.
Hypothetically, if someone found themselves in a situation like this, would they be able to remove the shutoffs themselves (while leaving them turned on)? Asking for a hypothetical person in the possible future.
Not while pressured up. Find the main shut off. Bleed off the water. Get new anglestops. Remove old, install new.
Were anyone enterprising enough, it could be done at night while the other units that share the building shutoff were sleeping. I could do six in a hurry in 30 minutes. Non plumber maybe an hour. Have the water back on before anyone even needed a midnite drink of water.
If the building is commonly metered does that mean you could theoretically have left one of the taps still connected so that they could still get water without the property manager knowing?
You are a hero and I'm not saying it lightly. Absolute respect for you for standing up for your morals and putting your livelihood on the line. Your apprentice learned something much more important than the job that day. I am sure that they'll remember this for their whole life and respect you, maybe even follow your example someday.
Look into municipal work. A comrade of mine was doing private-company plumbing work for a couple years, 80+ hour weeks in the heat, all-nighters, etc, and now does plumbing for the city, making about the same money but clocks out at 5 every day and kicks his feet up on the desk about half the time.
I actually have an application in with the city here for just that. Im applying for the gas department here. Its one of those unicorn good paying jobs, and a 5pm clockout. Only 1 on call day a week, and it changes weekly.
I just came from a small shop with three j-men and two apprentices. I was lead, worked 60-ish weekly plus five days a week on call. Last month i had an 86 hour week.
Place i start Monday is OT after 8 hrs daily, M-F 8-530. Only utility/dirt work so no on-call, no after hours emergencies. Non union, but its what it is because there is no union here unless you’re in electric.
If all you can give people is a couple days to prepare for their services to get cut off that’s better than nothing, and more than what most other tradesmen would do in your shoes. You done good, even if I feels bittersweet.