Uh oh a U S Plywood story now .
My father was the sawyer of the Douglas City saw mill. The 2 most important in making lumber, well the saw filer and sawyer could make or break a mill. The company provided 5 houses for employees, in a row adjacent the mill pond.
Douglas City had a 2 room grade school. My class baby boomed 7 in our grade.
The big boss from Portland Helicoptere in once a month.
So anyway when I was a young er uh soon to be father ....I gained employment at Novoply in Anderson. It blew up 3 months after I quit my 5 year employment. Anyways so I moved from laborer bucking 100 lb bags all shift to critical machine operator that could blow up the whole darned place with one mistake.
The shift foreman was "old school " from when the toughest guy was foreman. Kinda like Butch Cassidy.
Anyway we were running behind and I turned to my control panel to see him changing my settings. OH Hell No. I was direct and emphatic at close, uh toe to toe range. I was pointing at the panel and controls and emphatic about you...No No don't touch. As I turned to him , my finger touched. He jacked me in the chest with both hands. My stance was solid....
(a moral perhaps to justify babble
).
I jacked him under the chin with an uppercut that brushed his neck and chin. He stepped back. I invited him to return for more uh hands on experience. He declined and ordered me off property. Preceded by Your Fired. My reply was short and to the point. "F*** you, you ain't big enough to fire me."
Well he went and got the gate guard a Pinkerton. I got on the horn with my shop steward. I told him the story, he said I will call our rep. Hang on.
Well the return call arrived at the same time as the ancient security guard. The guard told me that I must leave or the Sheriff would be called.
Well I eventually left and the Union voted to a man to shut down the entire complex of sawmill, Plywood plant and particle board plant, if the wouldn't put me back to work with full back pay. This took 6 weeks to come to the closing of the largest employment in Shasta County around 500 had voted to stand behind me. Well the law required a hearing with a federal mediator. The meeting occurred the night before pickets could be started.
The mediator spoke with both sides after my story was told. His conversation with me ran parallel to the Movie Absence of Malice.
His method was good his gentle stroke my my ego in saying, "you are smarter than him and ...."
Well then I agreed to scrub the back pay, as I had enjoyed the vacation and even agreed to write a letter of apology for, "My Participation " no guilt other than sinking to his level of communication. I apologize.
Anyway that was early or mid of my 5 years employment. The Foreman blew the plant up 3 months after I quit. My shift my department 10 men were killed. Good men and friends all. The strongest man I knew was operating the machines that I would have been at. He didn't get out.
