b"It sounds like a very positive experience for you.What did you like best about your jobs? You can talk aboutbeing a caretaker or being a heating plant technician.I take pride in my job and I love that the job gave a service to people that are in need of it especially when I wasworking a senior building. We had seven other boiler rooms. I had hydrotherms, the regular boilers to take care of. I justlove working with mechanics, working on the house pumps, repairing motors, overhauling the boilers. I just enjoy myjob. If anybody needed anything or there was a problem with the heat, I would find it and trouble shoot it and repair it. It was beautiful. And the satisfaction of the tenants. It feels good to help somebody.Were you always interested in building things and connecting things? As a kid, I didn't care too much about dolls. I like cars. Im maybe like a tomboy. I'm a lady, 100 percent lady, but I like mechanics. Like right now, I would love to work in plumbing, plastering, anything, hard work. I don't like too muchsupervision, okay. I went up the ladder because I didn't want to take nonsense from other people. I see how the service isbeing provided. I said I could do better. And that's why I went up the ladder to residence building superintendent. I justlove everything I did in the Housing Authority. It taught me a whole lot, a lot about mechanics, oil delivery, what to lookout for. Like in my house right now, I see what has to be done and I'll do it. And if a service man comes out, I make surehe's doing the right thing, because I know what to look for. Was there anything that was problematic about your job along the way?We women didn't have a place to change, no bathrooms. But in the 90s, they decided to give us a bathroom and alocker room. They remodeled an office and gave us a space. When some skilled trades would come around, they wouldsay, You sure you're an HPT? They took you for a caretaker and talked down to you. No, I showed them to respect me,and I will respect you as a human being too. I'm willing to work with them, electricians, plumbers, I used to get down andwork with them. And they'd love to work with me because my place was clean. They could come anytime, anytime theyneeded something, because when a part comes in, I write it down in my log, in my book. So, if it was broken, that's theoriginal part, that's what I need to tell my supervisor to buy and that's exactly what he did. We didn't have to go to notrouble because I had my things up to date, I wanted to make sure to make things as easy as possible for me. I made thatplace like if it was my home. And it was like my home, so much so that when we went to Union Avenue Consolidatedwhen that was brand new, either the union or the housing authority sent a photographer to take pictures through thebuilding. They chose my boiler room to take a picture, to see how it is.You must have been very proud. What does it mean to you to be a member of the union?I love the fact that when you need something, you have a place to reach out, somebody to counsel you, to guide you, nomatter how big or small. Pick up that phone and they will help you. We may not be satisfied sometimes. A lot of us complain and say the union doesnt do anything for us, but you got to look at the whole picture. The Union helped me awhole lot in situations. I didn't even know that there was a law department to help me with child support. I never wantedto do that, but my supervisor said to me, Why you going to be busting your chops alone? You didn't bring this babyalone to this world. You could get the lawyers from the union to help you. And yes, they did. They helped me. Opened up138 "