In the summer of '73, the city started a Summer Jobs Program-mothers all over Lorain (including mine) were dragging their kids down to the Service Director's office at City Hall, to get them signed up to work for the City. I was seventeen, and really didn't have that much going on during the day, anyhow, so away I went.
My first assignment was the Sign and Paint Department...that lasted a day. From there, I spent two weeks with Parks, mowing grass At Oakwood Park. Finally, I was transferred to Sanitation, to work garbage.
It wasn't too bad...there were two other guys my age there, and I knew some of the regular workers. We only went out on the truck twice, spending the rest of the time sweeping out the gartage, hosing down the trucks as they came in, and listening to the old dudes talk about the job, and tell dirty jokes, all for $1.60 an hour, paid biweekly.
The work wasn't hard, certainly not as bad as walking behind an industrial mower in the hot sun. The old guys would buy beer, and one of the guys my age always had pot. Most of the day, we sat around the garage, waiting for the boss to tell us to do something.
I'd gladly take that job now, at the same pay... even today, $54 a week would help.
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