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Some years back, after finishing a large building job in NYC, as a project manager, I contemplated doing a complete 180 and going back to running equipment, not having to listen to all the nonsense, high stress, deadlines, accelerated deadlines, super accelerated deadlines.... you get the drift. Nope, just show up and take orders, leave when work is over, repeat 5 times and take 2 days off seemed a lot simpler and so much less stress. I decided to call the B.A. at the local operating engineers 825, for the 2nd attempt to join that local. Been there, done that before 10 years prior, was still on the list too, having the skills and expertise, knowing none of the earthwork equipment would pose any problem for me, even having not been on a piece of equipment in quite some time. I went to their school one morning, took the operating tests/tryouts on all their equipment and did just fine, but guess what they had ? A case with footswing ! Now you should have seen the 1st five minutes of me on that thing, never ran one before, but I kind of adapted quickly, told the person casually roaming around observing that I have never come across one of those but have run all kinds of rubber tire hoes, some on union jobs doing precision work for footings and around live utilities with union laborer manning a shovel for hand work as requested by a superintendent who insisted on my boss sending me to the site after seeing my work on the same job, quote from him, "that kid takes his time, is careful and knows what he is doing" they did not know I was not a union member, but would have been, had tried 2x to get in too, their loss not mine, called the B.A. after, he gave me some nonsense about my skills or others that scored better. Even one of the other people trying out gave me a really nice compliment on my work during the test/tryouts etc. Well I did the same tests at the NY local 14, 15 school one saturday, even had a sponsor who was a member and immediately recognized I was fully qualified and could be immediately hired by a contractor 5 years prior. Whaddaya gonna do.... well at least I tried and the guy next to me who could not even get a full bucket, probably got in due to a connection somewhere, oh well, would have been nice to get those benefits and not deal with being upper management is what I thought, I did enjoy that work quite a bit. Can't blame that footswing though, sure was a surprise, but I'll bet after 1 day I'd have it down, those old 4 stick's on the dynahoes, the size of cue balls, how anyone can run those, got to take your hat off for them, they were hard to get smooth with for me, excavator joystick controls are so much nicer. That was certainly something different, it's just like when I drive my old F-600, am in 4th low and just from hearing the engine, I go to shift into another gear, forget to pull up the button and go over to where 5th would be, except it's Reverse, grrrr ooops !! Did you ever get done driving a tractor trailer all day and get in your truck with an auto trans, push in the air clutch and reach for the invisible stick LOL ! Sometimes I still do it, so many miles in the seat just do it subconsciously I suppose.
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