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I quit my job this morning. I’d like to think it was for good reasons, not that anyone needs a good reason to fuck off to greener pastures.

A little background: usually at work, my service calls are already lined up for the day, when I arrive in the mornings. I get my clipboard with a printout of the day’s agenda. This morning’s agenda had everything spelled out except for a 11am service call. Instructions simply said “meet maintenance at office at X complex, they will escort you to the unit you will be working in.” Fair enough, sometimes maintenance likes to act like the gatekeeper and I have to deal with pissy maintenance guys who feel professionally snubbed because Im on site to do the work instead of them.

Except when I arrived it was a property manager, two maintenance workers and three cops. I knew right away what the jig was. Forced service disconnects for non payment. Not the first time Ive been in this situation.

Since the complex in question is on an old common meter setup there is no way for the city to just flip a switch and shut off individual service remotely. In cases like this, Im supposed to be the switch flipper.

Because there is no individual shutoffs, I am supposed to enter a stranger’s apartment, go to each individual fixture (each lavatory, each water closet, kitchen sink, water heater etc) shut the stops off, then physically remove the handles and cut the stems off and render the shutoff inoperable. Then, after the tenant makes arrears, they are required to call a plumber, set an appointment, and have said plumber come and install all new stops/shutoffs. On their own dime.

Once I figured out whats going on, I told my apprentice I was refusing the call and we were moving down the list. Didnt even tell the complex manager I was leaving. When I got to my next service call about ten minutes later, the GPS on my service truck ratted on me. It tells the office when I arrive at the physical location of my service calls. Office manager at the shop wants to know how I finished the disconnects inside ten minutes? Told her I refused the calls, and that they would have to reschedule with someone else. Manager says there is no one else, and I have to go back, right now. I told her I’d drop my apprentice off with another journeyman and I’d be in to the shop to hand in my truck keys and clear my personal shit from the office. I was pretty explicit that my apprentice didnt have any choice in my decisions and that it was mine alone. He is an 18 year old kid with a newborn at home. He shouldnt be made to suffer for my choices.

I start at another shop Monday.

In all likelihood, I only bought the tenants until Tuesday or Wednesday to get squared up with the complex office. The complex office isnt likely to call the shop I used to work at again, so it’ll take a few days to schedule another shop to deal with it. The police escort will have to be rescheduled. I have doubts as to whether I did anything to benefit the folks living in these units but I have to hold out some hope that its enough time for them to figure something out. Its all I could come up with on the spot.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TEDx talk.