Construction workers honor craft Wednesday, September 30, 1998
BY CLIFF RADEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Under the shade of an old sycamore tree, four construction workers stopped to share lunch and their thoughts on life.
Crete-Busters Todd Bennett (L), Larry Chapman (rear), Tom Pitts Jr. and Sr.
(Yoni Pozner photo)
| ZOOM |Going by their company's name, Crete-Busters, they were led by Tom Pitts Sr., the small firm's owner.
As he did with his father before him, Tom Sr. works with his son, Tom Jr. On this day, their family business included Tom Sr.'s stepson, Todd Bennett, and part-time worker and full-time friend Larry Chapman. They were my hosts for this week's "Lunch With Cliff," wherein I share a regular midday meal to hear what people are talking about.
The Crete-Busters were putting in a new driveway at a century-old home in Northside. When I arrived, they were already caked in mortar and mud.
The day's heat and the hard, physical labor of pushing wheelbarrows filled with 300 pounds of wet concrete sent the men staggering at lunchtime to the comforting shade of that sycamore.
As they ate sub sandwiches and sipped lemonade, Tom Jr. and Todd stretched out in the shade. After fashioning a homemade cherry Coke from equal parts cola, ice and Kool-Aid, Larry upended a 5-gallon bucket and sat on its muddy plastic bottom.
"That bucket may not be comfortable," Tom Sr. said. "But it sure beats standing."
"Sometimes, we do eat on our feet," Larry added. "When the work won't wait, we grab it and go."
The men had planned to break for lunch at noon. But the day's first concrete truck arrived late, the second truck early. Concrete sets up fast, so the men had no time for a break. Minutes after smoothing out the first batch, they poured out the second truckload and rubbed it down before they could even think about eating.
They finally sat down to their midday meal at 3 p.m.
Lunch began with some Clinton jokes -- don't look for them to be repeated here -- and Larry razzing. Larry is a solid, barrel-chested man with hands as big as shovel heads. His nickname is "Baloo," after the laid-back bear in The Jungle Book.
As Larry lumbered toward the crew's lunch spot, Tom Sr. and Jr. imitated his walk and started singing one of the songs Baloo eases into during the Disney version of Kipling's tales.
Taking their good-natured kidding in stride, Larry danced right back at them before easing his frame onto the plastic bucket. "These guys are warped," Todd said. A plumber by trade, he lives in Florida. He's in town this week riding out Hurricane Georges, so his stepfather put him to work.
"All worksites are the same at lunch," Todd said in a near whisper. "You have the jokes. You have at least one guy watching women go by. They make a few comments. Then everybody goes back to talking about life."
As if on cue, a female driver sped by in a white car.
"Hellllloooooo," Tom Jr. called out and waved. The white car kept going. Todd and Larry laughed.
Throughout the lunch and the laughter, Tom Sr. fidgeted. He'd sit down and bite into his sandwich. Then he'd get up and clean some tools. After washing his hands in a bucket of water and wiping them on his pants, he'd return for some more food.
"Let him go," Tom Jr. said as he dad scurried off again. "He can't sit still. He's the worrier in the group. He worries for all of us."
Tom Sr. invited me a year ago to have a lunch with his crew. He said back then he had "a mountain of issues" to discuss.
He remembered them and told me this week about how angry he was about cops giving black men a hard time, the failings of affirmative action and how racism had scarred him.
But this week he had a lot of positive things to say, too, kind words about the men and how proud he is to work side-by-side with them.
They relax and have fun at lunch, Tom Sr. said. They know how to enjoy life and their jobs. Instead of worrying about the driveway -- Will it set up right? Will it look good? -- the men look at their work with pride. It is going to look good. It will last for decades.
Tom Sr. called to his workers. The concrete had dried enough to receive its finishing touches. Everybody bagged their sandwich wrappers and grabbed their boots, knee pads and concrete trowels. "This work is very rewarding," Larry said before taking one last swig of his cherry Coke. "Years and years later, you can still come back and look at it."
"It's the pride that comes from doing something hands-on," Tom Jr. said.
On the job, Tom Sr. treats his workers as he wishes society would treat everyone.
"He gives us all a fair shake," Larry said. "With him, it's not "I'm the boss and what I say goes.' He treats us all like equals." Leaning forward, Larry added, "He has no idea know how important that makes us all feel."
Columnist Cliff Radel can be reached at 768-8379; fax 768-8340.
