INTERVIEW DETAILS —
Narrator: Marc Murphy
Interviewer: Catherine Falzone
Date: March 24, 2011
Place: King Juan Carlos Center, Washington Square South, New York University, New York, NY
Duration: 1:00:31
On March 24, 2011, Catherine Falzone interviewed Marc Murphy, a sanitation worker and shop steward at the Manhattan 2 garage, about his job, the Sanitation Department, the Dec. 26, 2010 snow storm, the union, and growing up on Staten Island. Murphy responded to questions about the alleged “slow-down” during the blizzard and the recent troubles facing public employee unions.
Murphy interview excerpt:
Falzone/Murphy Interview Part 1
Falzone/Murphy Interview Part 2
Falzone/Murphy Interview Part 3
Marc Murphy, a sanitation worker at Manhattan 2, lives in Staten Island, is a shop steward for his garage, went to college to play football, coaches high school football after work, and is going to college at night to become a teacher. He will probably keep his job in sanitation until he can get his pension (another 13 years) and then wants to teach school. We also talked about the snowstorm, the union, injuries, women on the job, and how he got into this line of work, among other topics.
For Marc, this is really just a job. He said that he likes it because he enjoys doing physical labor and, when he goes home, he can put it out of his mind. I think has pride in his work, but his self-worth and self-image are not bound up in the job. It’s a living.
Photos: Catherine Falzone
