CityAndStatePA .com
TRADE SECRETS
Top union bosses share with us their first jobs ever.
September 2021
By Jenny DeHuff
S
TARTING WORK AT a young age instills pride, responsibility and understanding the value of a dollar. It creates a sense of independence, builds confidence and helps young people get to know the real world. One thing that can be said for everyone on our Labor Power 100 – they’ve all worked hard to get where they are today – and that hard work started when they were kids. Some were earning their own money well before they could drive. But it’s those experiences that set them on the paths for the careers they enjoy today. Here are some of those jobs that were had before there was collective bargaining.
DIANE MASTRULL President, NewsGuild Local 38010
RICHARD ASKEY President, Pennsylvania State Education Association “I was a busboy at a local Big Boy restaurant when I was 15. I learned the importance of being part of a team and carrying your weight. I also learned how much I hate doing dishes.”
“I worked at Chipper’s Big Dipper soft ice cream stand right around the corner from my beloved Pennsbury High School. I would go on to work at Carvel and then, all through college to pay for my schooling, I worked at Baskin-Robbins. What I learned: The soft-serve swirl has to be positioned in the cone just right to avoid it dropping into the vat of chocolate dip top when you’re trying to apply that yummy quick-to-solidify waxy coating! And working at a job you love makes even not being asked to the prom bearable.”
PROVIDED, PSEA COMMUNICATIONS; PROVIDED; PA DEPT. OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY; PROVIDED
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