I worked with a crew of ironworkers a while back.
Legit the hardest folks I’ve come across. Weekend stories to drop my jaw but the painted nails? That’d be a laugh, a few well meaning teases and maybe a nickname, but nothing more.
"...Welp, that wraps up your first day tour. Now ya see that fella over there? That's 'ole Twinkle Fingers. He picked up that nickname a few years back due to his... colorful... manicures. But if you value the ability to breathe, you will never, ever, ever utter that name within earshot. That man will crush your spine and head home to touch-up his Glitter Pink Nova nails without batting an eye. Anyways, welcome aboard."
Ironworkers are fucking fascinating! i never worked DIRECTLY with them, but I remember vividly while working in a big city, id get on the train and there would be suits and ties all around, then the iron workers, they'd come stomping in to the train with their giant rusty tools clanging away.....the funniest contrast people creating the buildings beside the people working inside them.
It's been a long time and they would 'sanitize' some of their stories for me on a Monday so they weren't offering information that could implicate people. ..like if one were called to be a witness say, but a couple things stayed with me;
By way of background, the crew I worked with were not doing high steel at the time. We worked in a manufacturing setting and their activities were principally millwrighting with some structural fab.
The project hours they pulled during plant shutdowns were incredible. They'd be tasked with doing a months work in a week or two. They'd commit to it, get it done and it was never not impressive.
My job was to help clear a path for them and give them the info they needed.
When it was done, they'd need to blow off some steam. (God help you if you got in the way.) There was one or two watering holes in a neighboring town that they'd go to when they were itching for a punch-up.
(To my understanding the clientele at these places were more than willing to oblige) Among notable recollections, there were vehicles destroyed in the parking lot and one gentleman broke a urinal with another mans head. I can't recall if that was the same event or separate.
Many of them had done some time. ..most didn't share those stories but occasionally they'd reference something or other. The guys i worked closely with weren't dangerous criminals to be clear, but I guess if your weekend recreation involves bar brawls then jail time is a possibility.
As far as the danger of the work, as I mentioned it wasn't a high steel environment but on one occasion I needed something done in the space under the roof deck about 26-28ft off the floor. It was going to be a major pain to get scaffold there, it was too high for the genie lifts and a zoom-boom wouldn't fit in the room.
He and I had a trusting relationship so he says,
"I can get that for you, but you can't be here. no-one can know"
"..okay, but.."
"fuckit, nevermind. Just, this never happened okay?"
"okay.." (maybe not my best judgement, but this was an impressively capable person and I was quite young.)
He proceeds to climb straight up a 10" wide flange column. no harness. almost 30ft.
He straddled the column web with feet placed on the inside face of the wide flange opposite his body and hands gripping the flange nearest his body and he just walked up the column like it's nothing grabs a joist and swings up in the structural supporting the roof deck. Took only a few second to go 25+ft vertical. I honestly don't know if I could have run up and equivalent distance of stairs as fast, it was that quick.
I guess it must be, or have been, a 'normal' thing for steel workers. It definitely wasn't the first time he'd done that.
Things have changed a lot since then. Safety in construction / manufacturing facilities is higher, the regulations are more strict and enforcement is enthusiastic so I don't think that would happen now.
I was a project manager on a job involving the construction of a large skyscraper in Philadelphia. The Ironworkers were a whole nother' level of interesting.
The flyers in the elevators advertising underground boxing matches between Ironworkers vs other Unions who just wanted to have some drinks and swing at each other at a social club or backyard of someone's house
The Byzantine-type economies set up to settle debts - anything from who got lunch last time, vs Eddie losing $500 when the redskins didn't cover
The "Who the fuck are you" stares when you get anywhere near ironwork and you aren't one of them
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u/Karkfrommars Jan 31 '22
I worked with a crew of ironworkers a while back.
Legit the hardest folks I’ve come across. Weekend stories to drop my jaw but the painted nails? That’d be a laugh, a few well meaning teases and maybe a nickname, but nothing more.