On learning the prime directive of labor:
One morning when we clocked in, though, our foreman told us we had a new challenge. The park had a bandshell, and our job was to assemble the temporary stage risers needed for the concert that night. He drove over to the bandshell — and I do mean he drove, while we trotted along behind; I don’t think I ever saw him set foot outside of that golf cart or without a cigarette in his mouth — pointed to the backstage door, and told us the riser parts were inside and being a bunch of smart kids, we should be able to figure out how to put it together. Someone asked how long the job should take.
He said, “The union work rules say it takes a full crew four hours to assemble those risers.”