Glad He Doesn’t Live In Grandfather’s World

To The Editor:
I am glad that Art Hall lives in a wonderful world that his grandparents passed on to him. I, for one, am extremely grateful that I do not live in the world of my grandfathers.
My other’s father was a seventh generation Philadelphian, and worked for Atlantic Refining Company in Philadelphia. He had a good job, working 12 hours a day, six days a week in extreme hot and cold weather. He was able to bring home a paycheck, although he didn’t have much spare time for his family.
When Al Smith ran for president, being a Catholic my grandfather was told that he would lose his job if he voted for the Catholic Smith. He was sure his bosses at Atlantic would know his vote, and he did not vote in that or any other election until 1960, after he was retired.
My father’s father was an Irish immigrant, who also worked at Atlantic Refining Company until he fell at work and broke his ankle. He lost his job, when unable to walk without help, the company doctor said he was ready to return to work, although he was unable to climb the stills.
After years of searching for a job (he frequently came across signs reading “help wanted, Irish and dogs need not apply”), he found a job at Chestnut Hill College as a stationary engineer. He commuted from southwest Philadelphia to Chestnut Hill College, 20-plus miles, by trolley car, taking over two hours each way. Fortunately he only had to work eight hours a day. His broken ankle never did heal completely and caused him pain the remainder of his life.
I thank God every day for my own father, who seeing his father’s plight fought his entire life, as a union electrician, for good benefits and reasonable working hours. He had to work 48 hours a week in the 20s and 30s when he could find work, when those liberals changed to 40-hour week. Because he was tireless in his efforts for fair work rules for blue-collar workers, I was able to retire with a decent pension and medical benefits at an age when I still have time to enjoy the real American dream.
JOHN M. HENRY
Sea Isle City
.