Solomon Brodsky

BENJAMIN FILENE: First of all for background um what exact -- what did you do at the Navy Yard?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: OK um I had taken a civil service examination. And the list was appropriated or taken by the naval uh navy supply uh the Navy Yard.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh they used the list to bring us in to work. I started there February 1st, 19 -- '41? '42.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And my title was as a packer.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Which meant uh we fill requests for supplies for all the naval 1:00vessels or supply depots which was during the war.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh as I say through those I stayed there until about -- about eight years I guess before I transferred back uh transferred into the U.S. Customs Service where I finally uh retired in 1977. Uh both -- with both service of thirty-five years between the two.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. Wow.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: So uh we used to -- my other memories that I remember is that uh they tried to -- we worked at one time for quite a while at seven days a week.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: There was no such thing as uh time off.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh you know unless emergencies. In fact uh I'm Jewish and we had the Jewish holidays come up and Yom Kippur as probably you know --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: -- is very holy to us.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Sure.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And Rosh Hashanah. And the rabbis at that time uh they told us we should work, we were at war, and we did. It was the only time in my -- in my life I ever worked on a Yom Kippur --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Wow.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: -- or Rosh Hashanah.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh they used to bring in uh prizefighters. They set up a ring and lunch hour we all gathered round and they used to more or less entertain us.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Really?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh I had wanted to and I became what we call a snapper which was uh I guess manager or in charge of men. I had a gang of ten, fifteen people. Uh uh also when we launched the Missouri I was given tickets to attend. And I remember taking my wife down. And we watched the Missouri go down a ways.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh they also -- as I say Robert Montgomery worked in what we call building seventy-seven, and the top three floors were offices, and Montgomery was running in and out as I say. The girls swooned when they saw him. There were other well known personages there, but I don't remember seeing them.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh one other memory is when suddenly we -- ladies, women started to appear as workers.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. How did you feel about that?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Um never bothered me.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Uh huh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: We had our work to do. I -- I was attached to the Supply Department. I think it was building three if I recall. And as I say uh uh everything came in. We had posters all over the place. Loose lips sink ships [inaudible] sailors -- those things. Uh we had marine guards all over the gates there to make sure that nobody else -- the wrong people don't come in there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: When -- when?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: This is all during the war.

BENJAMIN FILENE: No but what -- why were the marine guards there? Just every day?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: As uh well we needed the security.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Every day.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Every day.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And we also had uh uh hired guards to help out.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: To make sure.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh I've seen some ships come in, those that were in battle. Oh I don't remember the name of the one that was -- took a very bad beating. But it finally made it back to port.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And New York was its home -- home port.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: How -- how noticeable a presence were the women? I mean were there a whole lot of them or --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh, I don't know. I --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Were you working with -- with women?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yes, we had women. Uh uh uh most of the women probably uh were in -- in uh office.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh in -- in -- in our own like in the Supply Department they would be in cages where they would hand out stuff for people at work. Uh of course uh we used to get invoices which made requests for supplies and from every corner of the earth. And uh we would give them those invoices, whatever they ordered we would uh pack up. Uh we -- we -- we'd pack anything from a carton of uh small items to packing automobiles, station wagons. I remember one. R-E-C-I-F-E, Recife, Brazil, we had a couple station wagons. We probably had a post down there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh put into a very large, like a young garage.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: We did that. It's surprising how you do those things.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Wow.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh I also worked uh when I was transferred to uh the Aluminum 6:00Plant of America. Uh they -- they ran -- they made so much aluminum that we took it over.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And we -- I was transferred out there. And we used to have --

BENJAMIN FILENE: This was also during the war?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: During -- this is all during the war.

BENJAMIN FILENE: OK.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh well then finally at the end uh this was what we call backwash. Whatever was left on the beaches or was brought back and reconditioned and put back in supply. Oh. I was finally sent also to Bayonne Naval Supply Depot. And that came about because when -- during -- after the war a lot of the boys came back and uh they -- they were getting their jobs back. And they -- I was transferred to Bayonne, the other supply depot.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh in Bayonne I remember we still had posts. And we used to work outdoors to be able to pack up skids with material for them. A lot of it 7:00also went to the uh Xs. What do you call it? Post exchange.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh so much there. I don't know. I think I -- that's about all I can remember I guess.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Well um let's go back to the -- the women for a second. Uh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Oh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: How -- how were they treated by the coworkers?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Fine. It was no problem. Look, we were in a war. We -- we can't fool around with that.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh in fact there were women welders because they worked on the ships.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: They taught them how to weld. Uh and a lot of them uh did man's work there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: That as far as I know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh as far as -- we had ladies uh which was uh they worked in -- with supplies and when we needed it.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. Mm hm. So you don't think -- did they get any special treatment or --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No uh uh one-on-one. It was no uh special treatment there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh they -- they went around wearing hard hats just like we were.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: If we were outside, we worked where they were building, we had 8:00to wear a hard hat.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm. How about um were there uh how many racial or ethnic minorities were there working with you?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Oh God, that I don't know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Not how many but were they -- was there a big --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No, there's everything, it was everything. We were all -- we were all from different groups.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Had Jewish, Catholics, Italian, Swedes, Black.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Hispanics.

BENJAMIN FILENE: How did that work out having such a mixture?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh there was no problem. There was no -- no problem as far as I could see or anything ever happened.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: There was no complaints, no uh griping uh no discriminations as far as I know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm. That's great. Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I don't remember any of it there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Um so basically did all the ethnic groups do similar work? Was there any division?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well uh there were different -- like I was in the supply department.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Which meant sending supplies to our boys or the ships, whatever.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Then they had uh repairs.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Shipbuilders, those that worked on the ships, building -- actually building ships.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh you had electricians. You had welders.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Did -- but were some uh were Blacks more likely to be in one type of job than another?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No.

BENJAMIN FILENE: No.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And I still say it was uh there was no discrimination the way I -- the way I saw it.

BENJAMIN FILENE: OK. That's what I was curious. Yeah. Um how about uh did -- did you grow up in the Brooklyn area?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I was born in Brooklyn.

BENJAMIN FILENE: So how -- how did you uh view the navy yard when you were growing up before you worked there? Did you have any perceptions of it?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: The only thing I can remember of the navy yard is when we used to go by by car. There used to be the U.S. Naval Hospital right there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I used to see the buildings. Uh it's a funny thing. If you were on the Williamsburg Bridge and looked in the direction of the navy yard you would see ships and -- on the ways or being repaired or whatever they were doing 10:00to it years ago.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh uh we -- we didn't give it any other thought. We only knew it as uh a shipyard. Naval base. People in the neighborhood, some of them applied to get jobs like uh carpenters was another one that they needed.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Uh huh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh uh every kind of work that uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah sure.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: That -- that was uh required for shipbuilding was uh there. But I never remember any trouble.

BENJAMIN FILENE: No. I wasn't asking about trouble.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No I mean uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh discrimination is the only other word I can use.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. Well, I'm asking actually was -- was it seen as a good place to work.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: That's right. That's the way I felt.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. And um I mean why was -- was -- how was the salary and the benefits?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Ugh, glad you mentioned it. I started salary at sixty -- sixty-six or sixty-seven cents an hour.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh we would get increases. And uh I was making ninety-nine cents a hour until the war was over.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And for some reason or other uh the general public got an eighteen percent increase. Me, everybody got an -- we also got an increase. So I went from a -- ninety-nine to a dollar and nine or something like that.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Uh huh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh and in other words increases kept going up.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh I eventually reached about a dollar and forty-seven an hour or something like that.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Huh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: By that time years had passed. Uh when I was a snapper as we call it and when the war broke they started to simmer down and I -- they put me 12:00back as a first class packer.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Uh huh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And eventually in 19 -- 1950 about I transferred back. Not transferred. I applied to uh United States Customs Service for which I took the original examination. I was accepted.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And from then I went to my -- my last title was uh import specialist. And I think my salary was around $20,000 a year when -- GS-11. That I remember.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. Right.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I had a GS-11 and I was approaching age seventy. And by that time I retired. After I retired age was no factor anymore.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I probably could have been working there to this day. But I was glad. Unfortunately, we had no children.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh my wife passed away uh 1982.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Cancer.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh so we -- we -- we did a lot of traveling. We uh traveled the United States quite a bit.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Finally went to Europe a couple times, three times.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh Canada you know. When --

BENJAMIN FILENE: That's great.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: When you -- when you're childless what else is there to do?

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: But since then I've been sitting quiet. Uh it's not fun going alone anywhere.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm. Yeah. During the war when you were on the job was this a uh was it a really hard job or an easy job? Uh were you frantically busy or not?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Busy? Were we busy?

BENJAMIN FILENE: On the job yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Oh. You don't -- you don't sit around there. You work.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: As soon as you finish one invoice you pick up the second one and you continue on. We were working overtime. I remember there were times that 14:00we had to get the work out and we were working ten hours a day.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And let's see. If uh uh eight hours times seven is fifty-six.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And they added on ten more is sixty-six hours a week we were working a long time.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Did you get paid overtime?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: We got paid for -- we got uh overtime pay for the uh for uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Ten hours.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yeah you know they paid us time and a half.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: With the time and a half I still remember. I think the checks were about like sixty-six bucks. Well, those were the days.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah sure.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Those were the days.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah so was there -- I mean you imply that the salaries were low. Was there any um did you feel like it was low at the time? Or is it --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Low?

BENJAMIN FILENE: Or --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well I'll tell you. Uh because we're working seven days a week and with the sixty uh with the overtime uh you know it felt like we were making money. There was uh there was nothing else uh you just worked. You had to. So --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: -- the money was more than I was making before. I was earning about thirty-five dollars a week before I went in there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Maybe less, maybe thirty-two dollars, I don't recall. And uh then all of a sudden when you got ninety-nine cents an hour is uh thirty-nine dollars and change more or less. But the overtime --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh gave us the extra money.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: But then you never were able to go anywhere. You were always working.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Right.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I was tired. There were day -- days I felt like a zombie.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah I'm sure.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: You know uh you worked uh this is -- look we're in a war there. I had my kid brother in the war. So you feel like you're working for him.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: To get back to the blood donor thing. The blood.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh they used to give us cards. And I had about a dozen of them that I sent to my people, to my friends, my family that know that and we -- we -- if the card said that we donated a pint of blood for them just in case, that was words to that effect or something, I remember that one too.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And believe it or not I got letters from the kids.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Really.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I did.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Wow. That's --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And let's go back so many years. 1945, '50, it's about uh over thirty years ago.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Huh. Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: But the memories, some of them come back.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh yes [inaudible].

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Oh, there's another thing. Uh who's the bandleader? They used to -- because of blood donor, they gave us tickets to who -- they enter -- entertained us in the armories. Oh one other thing which was important for the blood. I -- I became a uh uh I took charge or they gave me the title to take charge of getting people to donate blood.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Which meant that about once in two months if I remember I went around asking for -- for donations, I would go for donations.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And I would get quite a few. I get -- I'd order a station wagon. We -- because we were working the [inaudible] at the time. And we put all of them inside there and we'd bring it down. The Red Cross of course was running it. And uh whenever they got through they were given off the rest of the time. So usually we went in the afternoon and they would get maybe two hours off.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: For because of the blood donation. Uh I also was given a large poster. And fortunately we had a young man there who was very good with printing.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And we had all these people who donated blood up there which was more or less of an honor I guess. And we -- I had quite a few that always -- I was able always to get a gang to come down with me.

BENJAMIN FILENE: That's good. Yeah. So um well how did it feel to be able to work instead of uh being drafted?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well I don't know about being drafted. I think I was past the 18:00age by that time.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Don't forget I'm eighty now.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh I was mid 30s if I recall.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I was called. Oh excuse me. I was called. And I went to what do you call it. Got the greetings. And I went. I went down there. Uh I was being treated for an ulcer.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh they -- they made me a 4-F account of that. Oh no that didn't make me a 4-F, I had a hernia.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: A hernia which I was uh I had surgery for the hernia back in the '30s.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And for some reason or other the doctor didn't think I -- just said no good. And I remember I was looking at him. I says what do you mean a hernia. I says I was operated on it. You know the guy looks up and he says what are you, crazy, you know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Uh huh. [laughter]

SOLOMON BRODSKY: He thought I was a nut to complain. But that's my reaction.

BENJAMIN FILENE: So you -- did you want to get drafted?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No, no, no, I wouldn't want to get drafted. Uh I was -- if I had to go, I would have gone.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh they called me. I went. But I never thought they'd throw me out.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: But anyway uh also being in uh working as a navy yard worker I didn't go to the navy yard to work as a uh to dodge the draft. To me it was uh uh because I remember uh I thought it would be a permanent job there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And I wanted to be in civil service.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Why'd you want to be in civil service?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well uh make sure that uh I have a job without any headaches pension-wise.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: All that. And I thought I felt I could get ahead, which I did, because --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: -- when I did transfer I -- I left at a fairly good job. I loved that job in that custom house.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh you know security is the big word.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: So that when they put me to work there. But uh eventually uh I -- I did transfer back to -- did uh I kept going back to the custom house and they finally put me on.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm. Um how uh how do you think the Yard and the naval yard workers were viewed by Brooklyn community, Brooklyn people outside the yard? What did the community think of you guys and --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well, I really have no thoughts on it. I'll tell you. I think it seemed to me like all of Brooklyn was working in the Navy Yard.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Really?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: There was about 80,000 there if I recall.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah, yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: But a lot of people that I know uh worked for the Navy Yard. Uh it's a funny thing. I'd also taken a civil service job for the Sanitation Department.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Also in the '30s. And sure enough they called me. And I went to 21:00speak to uh the naval officer in charge. And I showed it to him. He says well we're at war, we can't release you. I didn't expect to be released.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I just showed it to him. So that never came through. Otherwise I could have been a sanitation --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Um well how about -- how did you get along with your coworkers? Were you friends with them on the job?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yes. Very -- look uh we -- you really didn't have time to be at each other's throats or anything like that or argue [inaudible].

BENJAMIN FILENE: No. I was asking more about the opposite. Uh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yeah we -- no, we had this -- and we did our work, we worked together. We worked as a team. We worked together. It was no uh problem.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. Did you know them -- did you know them outside work? Did you know their families or --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh some of them yes. We used to go out together.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No, no, no, this is in the custom house.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh OK.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No, not -- no, we didn't. Uh we didn't uh uh we just you know 22:00everybody went home and that was the day.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. Was there any uh you were in -- in the packing uh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Packing section.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah was there any -- was the packing section -- did it have any sense of uh unity as a -- as a building? I mean did they uh feel like well we're the packing house and that's the machine shop and they're different? Or uh anything like that?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: You mean uh no not really. Look as I say each unit did its own work. Uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh uh there was no uh contest between us or anything like that. We --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Each unit. Look uh the building three I think was its -- its own big building because it was a five- or six-story building and that was it. That was supplies. Building number five I remember was next door. That was the machine shop.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: We knew. Maybe we knew one or two fellows there or something like that but --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh there was no contest or anything. We all did our work. Uh the -- we had a war to fight.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yes. Down to business. Um how about the uh working conditions 23:00at the place? Was -- was it -- did you feel that it was a good place to work in terms of equipment? Clean, how clean it was? Safety were they uh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: We -- we had the -- the -- the word safety. We had special safety officers.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: All time to make sure nobody got hurt. In fact we were required to wear uh steel-toed shoes.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Really.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yes. We had to --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Case of a -- yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Because you know we're uh like uh we -- say we got a motor to -- to -- to pack up and send it out.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: They're heavy.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Forty, fifty pounds, it could slip and --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Sure.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: So we had to have a steel -- steel toes in our shoes. We had to get them.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Wow.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No ifs, ands and buts.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh if we uh we -- we used to wear goggles. Where it was required. So you don't get anything hitting you in the eye.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Or if we used the -- the grinder to sharpen up a tool maybe.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yeah uh the -- the -- they did have a special safety engineers. That's the word I think they were. Safety engineer. They were around all the time.

BENJAMIN FILENE: So did they uh did this seem to work, the system? I mean were there relatively few safety incidents? Or were they -- were there few problems?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: The -- well people -- people were hurt. There was -- there was always something there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Really.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh this uh sometimes happened, I don't know how. But I know people were -- some of them were hurt.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: There's no -- you -- it was not 100%. There was always a hazard.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Sure.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Whatever you did.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh yeah. Uh so did the workers feel like uh enough was being done to protect them? Or was there -- did they want more?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No, I think they did. In fact uh we always -- we had a suggestion box. And this man came up and said you -- we -- we -- you stand, you don't -- there's no -- this is not a sit-down job.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Right.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And we had our tables here. Whatever we did. Uh nails, hammers, 25:00whatever. And they gave us foam mats so it would make it easier on our feet working there all day.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: That they -- that -- was always suggestions there for one thing --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Was that because of a suggestion that they gave --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: That's true. Yes it was a suggestion.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: As I remember about uh as I say it's uh don't remember all of it. But that one -- that -- that one sticks in my mind.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And sure enough those mats came out and --

BENJAMIN FILENE: That's good.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: -- we had it under our feet.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm. So the workers seemed to have been pretty satisfied.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Very well.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: They were satisfied. I -- as I say I haven't heard any complaints.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah [inaudible].

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh there's a possibility there might have been uh a goof-off here and there. You know you -- just like everyplace there. But I never saw any.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I know if I either worked alone or I worked in a group we worked together. It was no such thing as uh goofing off.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: As far as I know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh sure yeah. Um about uh so how did you view the management? I 26:00mean it seems like there was a pretty uh they had a pretty complicated system of you know supervisors and supervisors of the supervisors.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: That's right. Well --

BENJAMIN FILENE: And um.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: My supervisor -- I had two of them. I had no problem with them and I don't think anybody else had it.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh and what did they call them? Leading? Lead -- leading men. I don't -- they had other different names they --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: But as far as I know uh uh if -- if -- if you had a grievance, if it did come up there uh you were listened to.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Some people had a grievance or somebody's not going to be 100% --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: -- happy. I know. Look I -- I'm talking for myself. I know I had no problem. And --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh sure that's all I'm asking. Um I wasn't just asking for problems.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No I understand. I -- I know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Um so you worked until uh 1950. Is that right?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: How long did you work there in the yard?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh about 1950 I would say.

BENJAMIN FILENE: OK. And so how did things change around the yard when the war ended?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well, it was quieter. We worked a forty-hour week. That's number one.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Immediate? Was that only uh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: After the war. The overtime was tremendous --

BENJAMIN FILENE: Just for -- yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Was a tremendous amount of money I suppose. And uh when -- when -- if uh supplies if uh they -- they were forthcoming it was not an emergency. The war was over.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: So things were a little slower.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Little slower.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And when I was sent to Bayonne, New Jersey it was just supplying other naval supply depots. And some of the ships, that's all. Uh uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: So that was still part of the naval yard work you think.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh oh it was all navy yard work. Had strictly navy yard. Was nobody else's. Uh uh.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Was that -- how -- how many years after the war roughly was 28:00that? When you were sent to Bayonne?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well, 1945, I would say another five years.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Oh, 1950 you were sent to Bayonne. OK, I get it.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yeah. No, no, I was sent. Uh I was sent to uh Bayonne '46 or '47.

BENJAMIN FILENE: OK.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And then from Bayonne uh when I -- I applied uh for uh I went back to U.S. Custom House to see if anything open. Sure enough they called me.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Right.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And I left them I think in 1950.

BENJAMIN FILENE: OK. You left Bayonne in '50.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Yeah, from '50 to '77, I had about twenty-seven years in with the U.S. Customs Service.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah OK.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And about eight years or so with the -- or twenty-six and eight, something like that.

BENJAMIN FILENE: So did you get uh paid less when you were only working forty hours because you weren't working as many?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well, for forty hours, well, by that time as I say uh uh the uh hourly rate had increased. Uh I know I left. When I left the navy yard I was making about a dollar and forty-two cents an hour.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: When I left the navy yard. In fact when I transferred over to uh customs service I took about a 600 or -- I'm guessing that. There's about 600 dollars a year cut.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I felt uh I wanted, I preferred the customs service. And I did well with it. So I -- I did all right. But fortunately after I got into the customs service there was a general increase. Continental Congress at that time gave it to you. So I got back most of the money. And then I took exams and worked my way up, as I say.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. Yeah. Um what about uh how do you feel about what's happened to the Navy Yard in the last thirty, forty years? Like the way it is today.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Can you turn that off?

BENJAMIN FILENE: [inaudible].

SOLOMON BRODSKY: They -- they shut that down. You want to listen to them?

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yes.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: [inaudible] I'll get killed.

BENJAMIN FILENE: No. No.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: [inaudible] look. Johnson.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Uh huh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: President Johnson, he put NASA down in his hometown.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Other congressmen or those that had oomph took the navy yard out of Brooklyn, put it in other uh uh other navy yards that they opened.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm. Huh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: They closed them down. But uh it never came back here. Now -- now they got private uh industry. They make -- they're trying to make a shipyard out of it. They have one or two of them in there if I recall.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And uh a lot of commercial people maybe are going in there now. I don't know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: So was there much resentment when uh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Oh there was a lot of jobs lost in Brooklyn.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: A lot of jobs that were lost. Sure there would be resentment. I was out of there already. If -- if I was working there I would have been mad too.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I lost my job.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. Do you think uh how do you think people view the Navy Yard now? I mean what's your perception of -- of --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well, that I don't know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: I mean how -- do you think these private firms are the same as having a navy yard?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well uh our mayor is doing the damnedest to get people in there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: To uh bring a lot of workers. Uh a lot of work in there. People would be hired. Uh it has picked up. They've got -- they have hired quite a -- I don't know how much. I say quite. Uh they hired people I know because of the -- they need them.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: There are still shipbuilders around. Welders and electricians and engineers, whatever.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: So as far as I guess with people I don't know. I haven't been back to the Navy Yard except by passing it uh since the war was over.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm. I was just wondering. Uh some people uh say that this isn't the same. That uh.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No it isn't. Definitely isn't. It's a different story today. Uh there are not uh don't forget uh the 80,000 workers at one time in the Navy Yard.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: And it's -- it's -- it's not such a terribly big place there for 80,000 people. Working three shifts.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: They were working uh around the clock there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: So uh right now it -- I guess it's just a place where people put up uh businesses and -- and work there.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. Did you have any uh memories of the Sands Street uh area? Did you do anything there after work?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: I remember Sands Street, sure. Uh they had put up a building. And it was supposed to be for the navy personnel. I think the building is existent today but I don't know if it's owned -- if it's federal property. I -- I think they -- see I -- I'm trying to remember. I think uh you know what a yeshiva is?

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: It's a uh are you Jewish?

BENJAMIN FILENE: No. But --

SOLOMON BRODSKY: No. A yeshiva is like a Jewish college.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Right.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: A college. Right. And I think they've taken it over. Using it 33:00for their uh dormitory I think.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Today I think. I think I passed it. I remember seeing a big sign on it there. And uh maybe the buildings uh are open to the public. And they -- they live there. Well I don't know.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Did you -- was that a bustling place? Sands Street at the time?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: At that time it was uh it was clean. No problem. I used to walk.

BENJAMIN FILENE: No. But was -- was it busy? Uh was it -- what -- did you do things there?

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Well people. Look people were coming and going there for twenty-four hours.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: They were coming in from either one gate. Either the Sands Street gate or the Flushing Avenue gate.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Uh sometimes I'd go in the Flushing and leave through Sands Street because I would have to go to the subway which would be the Myrtle Avenue line.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Myrtle Avenue station on a uh Brighton line I guess.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm hm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: Today they -- they closed up the Myrtle Avenue station and it's -- you got to go to DeKalb Avenue.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Mm.

SOLOMON BRODSKY: So uh but as far as reaction of people the only reaction is -- 34:00is when uh they closed down the Navy Yard. Papers were full of it at that time. But there's uh politics.

BENJAMIN FILENE: Yeah. OK, well, thanks a lot.