Tribute to the men in Public Works I would appreciate it , if I never heard again, the untrue stereotype that city workers are lazy and stupid, that people work for the city because they're too inept to get a job anywhere else. Those "lazy" guys who work in Highway are working two jobs to pay their bills.
Here's to the man in the garage, who spent an entire week on his back under the garbage trucks, fixing their transmissions while maggots dropped down on him.
Here's to the man who came to work with mastoiditis, who couldn't take time off...and here's to the man who works while standing in an unnatural position all day long, until his whole body aches.....to the one who gets the paving machine duty where it is 300 degrees hot and smells so obnoxious that the other men duck the job, if they can.
Here's too, to the man who snowplowed two and a half days with only one break. When His shift was over, He collapsed with fatigue.
.....to the man who waded in swamp muck to clear out debris and is rewarded with poison ivy and insect bites.
.....to our heavy equipment operators who always handle their equipment responsibily and with the skill of a surgeon, knowing that one slip could ruin equipment or kill a man.
I saw similar heroism in our garbage collectors, at the wastewater treatment plants, the Parks Department and Building Maintenance. Those down to earth men (and women) turn the wheels of our minicipality. Our government functions because of them. A tip of the hat to you guys!
Here's to the man in the garage, who spent an entire week on his back under the garbage trucks, fixing their transmissions while maggots dropped down on him.
Here's to the man who came to work with mastoiditis, who couldn't take time off...and here's to the man who works while standing in an unnatural position all day long, until his whole body aches.....to the one who gets the paving machine duty where it is 300 degrees hot and smells so obnoxious that the other men duck the job, if they can.
Here's too, to the man who snowplowed two and a half days with only one break. When His shift was over, He collapsed with fatigue.
.....to the man who waded in swamp muck to clear out debris and is rewarded with poison ivy and insect bites.
.....to our heavy equipment operators who always handle their equipment responsibily and with the skill of a surgeon, knowing that one slip could ruin equipment or kill a man.
I saw similar heroism in our garbage collectors, at the wastewater treatment plants, the Parks Department and Building Maintenance. Those down to earth men (and women) turn the wheels of our minicipality. Our government functions because of them. A tip of the hat to you guys!
posted by gardenbug at Thursday, March 16, 2006
2 Comments:
This is also one of my pet peeves. Some of the hardest working people I know work in state government. They work extra hours and don't get extra pay (they are usually just offered time in lieu, even though they could use the money for the overtime.) They are expected to do the work of two people due to budget cutbacks, etc. Non-profit groups also work this way. Whoever thinks that working a government job is a piece of cake needs to think again.
Amen. I learned to appreciate the rank and file worker. Maybe not an intellectual, but a good moral person...just wants to get the job done and get home to his/her family. Forget the image of the highway department worker...lecher and a drunk, lazy. Not a word of truth in that image. Those others, don't make the cut. They get fired in the probation period.
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