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Circa 1905. "Payday at the shipyard -- Newport News, Virginia." Where do I sign up for direct deposit? 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
When I first moved to Newport News (1976)The shipyard employed 36,000 workers on three shifts. The majority worked days, of course and the rest were split between swing and graveyard shifts.
If you were downtown for some reason, other than working at the shipyard, You made sure that you were either on your way home before 4PM (when the yard let out) or had a good reason to stay till around 5 PM. Traffic West on Warwick Blvd and Jefferson Ave. was bumper to bumper for a good 45 minutes.
Upon closer inspection, things may be a little less chaotic than they first appear. There are multiple pay stations, and the signs at each station seem to indicate which positions get paid there (e.g. fitters, carpenters, drillers, etc.) and during what hours. So, if you were a Power House worker, you'd show up at Pay Station 3 at the designated time and your pay would be waiting; the folks in the Repair Department would have to wait until later to pick up their pay at that same window. (I wonder what happened if you showed up after your pay session ended?)
There weren't this many people in my home town.
Payment in hard cash. Seems like there would have been a better way, but of course the company doesn't care, these guys are off the clock!
[I think they all felt better getting cold, hard cash. - tterrace]
They're the ones walking purposefully away from the crowd. Off to the pub!
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