~ The CAUSEWAY Rebellion ~
The following “read” is a factual account the leading-edge root cause behind the permission granted to Captain Joseph Hazelwood to crash the EXXON Valdez into the rocky shore of Bligh Reef in 1989. The cause effect an environmental “oil spill” nightmare unprecedented in a pristine wilderness. Now after 30-years, the name of the guilty party responsible.
Author’s Note: YES, the 1989 “Good Friday” wreck of the EXXON Valdez on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound could have been avoided. Since that dreaded day, hundreds of experts have been successful in instilling that fantasy, but not a single source has yet to fulfill with confidence an explanation of HOW that catastrophe could have been a “no show”. It all sounds good on “Broken Promises” disaster dissertations too many to count and signed with a PHD namesake, but let’s get real. So as an obligation as a person in the know, I am offering up the only bonafide explanation, a radical deviation from the “expert” testimony that continued for hours upon hours, month after month as that “avoidance collision” in collusion is but for in reality a 1-minute rewind. Who am I? Someone that can fast-forward rewind that 1-minute disciple, because I was there before the “wreck” and the precipice of this “historical” event”, it started at 2024-hours with reinforcements at 2029 and was cast in stone as a disaster by 2030-hours, on March 23rd. Yes, only 6-minutes to disaster, maybe less. Now likewise the mutiny on Captain Bligh’s “HMS Bounty” in 1789, so came a mutiny upon the few who tried to make a difference long before the “wreck” and the environmental disaster that followed Captain Hazelwood’s nightmare. Listen up, said again “what could have been avoided” is augmented with “SHOULD” but wherein that “listen up” for sake of argument was silenced by the “Blight”. The pipeline “Owner” priorities dictated which direction to go and wherein to focus attention by the operator of the Trans-Alaskan-Pipeline, and the fallout was this “wreck”. It puts that “rewind” sentiment into light, as looking back that maybe, maybe had those “priorities” been based on an ethical reasoning instead of “image” and $$$…hope you get the point. And with the “Mutiny on the Bounty”, court martialed Bligh also faced the backlash of the “Rum Rebellion” and in concert with history, in 1982 there came to be what is known as the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”. The latter took place up in Alaska, across the bay from Valdez and categorically speaking, historically in sync with the Healy Roadhouse and Jack Marler “rebellions” of past, in justification the “cause”. The “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”, it started when a gang of pipeline workers were confronted by a drunken fool tanker crew demanding access along a “Causeway” to their engine running outbound tanker, and you don’t mess with a bunch of roustabouts - especially when armed with a RIGID 818 pipe wrench, hand-in-hand. And with the show of force the wrenches waving in solidarity and the irate workers protected by hard-hats so ready and willing to “brawl”, the tanker’s Master saw it was time to stand-down, and breaking-numbskulls was avoided. Now when this “near miss” explosive matter was presented to the pipeline company executives, that the roustabouts would no longer allow “wasted” seamen access back to their “stateroom” tankers and so deny and delay the scheduled departure of the cargo vessels, the management took a detour and decided to break up the roustabout gang. That “priority” Saturday Night Special! Why so when it was a “locals” action in deterrent, that which would thwart under-the-influence abuse on the high-seas? And the workers “Rigid not frigid” were in their right to oppose what they considered unethical behavior, damaging and harmful behaviors, only to then find their own management side with the culprits in criminal opportunity! Simple answer this “why so”, simple as “greed” because intentional delays meant stiff fines for the operating company, so the executives found the low-road in denial a convenient “Houdini” escape. That said, with the company town command it was either “with thum drunks” or “against thum drunks”, and thus the unabated behavior of the tanker crews drinking-on-the-job a bad habit continued. That said, the roustabouts tried in earnest without avail to arrest this joy riding on the high-seas, that which was promulgated in “denial” by those that could have made a difference. OK, to react ethically this situation it meant “interference” the hand that feeds, as the tanker crews were employed by “Big Oil” so could get away with…well murder Joe wrote! In ending this saga, what the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” meant was the end of the careers for the workers that engaged in trying to stop this free-for-all madness. A blatant disrespect, not only for the laws that govern high-seas crimes and misdemeanors, but also a sacrilege against hard working salt-of-the-earth breadwinners that witnessed an ever increasing problem of magnitude frightening, took action and then found retaliation the only reward. An out-of-sight and out-of-mind mentality, the dereliction upon a conviction by a rank and file management that knew better. Yet to take a stand in favor of righteousness was fool-hardy when such would confront the wherewithal of the mighty EXXONs, “mission accomplished”. Praytell, it was therefore just a matter of time wherein that 1400-foot “Causeway”, a minute away from disaster, would allow a crew of unfit mutineers to gain access to their steel hull monster “Bounty” and sail away into the “Valdez Narrows”. And when asleep at the wheelhouse, hard aground a tanker would rest, spilling its once precious cargo now a toxic dilemma delivery an unrecoverable blow to the “Sound”. Had the pipeline executives taken the stand that the 1400-foot “Causeway” be justified as a “Beware” signal to the tanker crews returning from a 12-hour furlough into the town of Valdez, that to travel that path meant sober and not under-the-influence, well the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” would be something remembered with honor a RIP “godsend”. And the EXXON Valdez would still be a seaworthy hull, instead of rusted scrap heap best fit for the bone-yard. And to rub salt in the wound, after the “wreck” it was renamed the “Oriental Nicety”? That “junk” can be cut in pieces, melted again and again, forged into something shining anew, but it will be remembered never forgotten - as will Joe Hazelwood be remembered upon a legacy of disgrace. And may as well place those that could have made a difference in the same category, those individuals in positions of authority to make change, yet they balked.
This is a “True Story” of the worst environmental disaster that began after a tanker crew was allowed to travel that “Causeway” on or about 2030-hours on March 23rd, 1989. Somebody helped that under-the-influence crew maneuver that single-lane trestle pathway, only 1400-feet that which could have meant the difference the present ill-fate of Prince William Sound. That is when it all began, and that “Good Friday” would soon be tainted by a drunken foolhardy tragedy. And the days that followed, with the finger pointing and contributory negligence enough to go around, blame the puppy dog even found a fascination as it became a lawyers haven “gold on black gold” opportunity and the “truth of the matter” lost forevermore.
So that “Hero’s Welcome” those that tried to make a difference, there never was any recognition the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” participants, only a self-serving cover up by a corporate faction that didn’t believe in its workers’ worth and thought it proper to retaliate against stewardship, taking aim at their own for trying to do things right.
~~~~~
"Someone painted April Fool in big black letters on a Dead End sign..."
"Someone painted April Fool in big black letters on a Dead End sign..."
IMAGINE, only 1400-feet the distance separating a once pristine ecosystem where upon a time untold numbers of migrating salmon flourished, where seal pups frolicked in serenity of life un-equaled and eagles glided about in solitude. Until Joe “Exxonageddon” Hazelwood’s environmental nightmare unleashed such a disaster, magnitude unsurpassed modern man endeavors. Hitting a reef full throttle saloon ahead, allowing a Pontius Pilate Pilot breach of the ship’s hull and spilling a mess of crude oil that needed a million-zeros to account for how many gallons went overboard. And even though the Deep-Water Horizon accident in 2010 would dwarf the toxic release by a factor of 20x, the EXXON Valdez wreck would have a 20x environmental affect in comparison - due the sensitivity of the near-shore marine ecosystem. Like one cannot judge a book by its cover, an “oil spill” can only be judged in severity by the aftermath effects - and Prince William Sound has yet to fully recover some 30-years later. At the same time the Horizon effects show signs of rehabilitation, only 9-years away. Yes, the solution to pollution still follows the “golden rule” we learned it all in kindergarten, it’s called dilution. That was an affordable remedy in the Gulf Coast, an “accident” some 100-miles from any shoreline and in deep water, almost a mile’s worth. But not so in the “Sound”, as it was the worst justified case scenario - shallow water, estuaries robed of life, shorelines decimated beyond recovery - and why I continue to differentiate upon the fact the Deep Water was an “accident”. No matter how well we plan, “accidents” will happen now and forever Amen. But rest assured, no way in hell was the EXXON Valdez an “accident” - it was premediated by a lackadaisical stewardship already “hard aground” before the “Wreck”, as it should have been prevented. Placing blame on Joe, a lame excuse but they got away with it. Will the real bandits please stand up!
And that distance between it all, that 1400-feet is a measly ¼-mile that is 5-minutes long by foot traffic or by the posted speed limit, about a minute plus some. With this “Exxonageddon”, I am talking about the EXXON Valdez wreck on Bligh Reef, back on March 24, 1989. Nothing “good” on that “Good Friday”! Read all about it we did, 1400-feet the equivalent of a mile’s fraction, and about how far off-course Captain Joe Hazelwood allowed his fully laden tanker before “hard aground” was heard around the world. And the aftermath? For Captain Joe it found No Crime, small fine and time confined to “Community Service”. Pretty good lawyering as Joe was originally hit with 3-felonies and too many to count “misdemeanors”. The wanton waste of seabirds is a “misdemeanor”, so with over 10000 dead oiled corpses collected a few days after the grounding…it gives negligence a new chapter in the law journals. And Joe’s “community service” was at Bean’s Café - a luxury when that is the only fine for the crime hope you like moose stew! And EXXON, fined pennies on the George Nelson “Fuck Buck”. Nelson was CEO of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company when the “Exxonageddon Wreck” made headline news and one year as a bonus to the pipeline workers…there wasn’t any when “Big Oil” was raking in major profits from its Alaskan oil trade, so someone “counterfeited” fake “Fuck Bucks” with George’s “mugshot”. In Valdez, it would get you a free coffee, as the “buck” was considered a collector’s item. And bring this “buckawoo” to the Pipeline Club, it was used for dart board game target practice as Nelson was not well liked around the end-of-the-line - before the “wreck”. Bligh Reef is were Joe rested his soul, so well-known as a navigational hazard in Prince William Sound that kids in kindergarten around the town of Valdez so learn about it early on, as a warning sign ahead that life does have obstacles best to avoid. Yes, named after Captain William Bligh, a “Pirate” according to the “Bounty” mutineers, a cruel tyrant that abused the crew but in the end was also acquitted of “Treason” for letting the “mutiny” succeed on his helm watch. So many similarities, these mutinies and exonerations! And likewise, not only did Captain Joe and EXXON find an exoneration unsurpassed in modern times with respect to legal responsibility, there are those guilty of trespassing the dignity of environmental stewardship because they feared for their “golden parachute” cushion jobs. So remained silent, wherein it should have been yelled out loud to STOP this “harmageddon” in the making - they were also acquitted but live forever with the “dirty hands guilt”.
Now herein I am talking a simple almost non-dimensional “comfort zone” that made the difference. That which separated the helm of those ocean going tankers to destiny’s child, especially relevant on March 23rd, a day before this disaster occurred that which still finds stubborn “weathered oil” lingering some 30-years gone bye - as nature takes its time in cold climates. So maybe in another 30-years the “Sound” will be free and clear of the wreck’s “bounty” of left-behind oil. Remember, no crimes involved and double-jeopardy frees Joe and EXXON for life - when “life” would have been a better serving verdict. Even though this “crime” demonstrates a dereliction upon the laws that govern “misfits” and any sensible “make good make whole” attributes gone like the outgoing Sawmill Bay tide, had the authorities investigating looked in the appropriate “skeleton closet”, maybe there would have been some semblance of incarceration respectful of the seriousness of such abuse. No, No said again not against Captain Joe or EXXON, but those “mutineers” that stood in the way of confronting a “problem” small but with consequences humongous and repercussions daunting. The abuse I am alluding upon in alert is the fact there came about a confrontation long before the “wreck”, most likely due “a little too much to drink last night”, wherein pipeline workers had to fend for themselves with pipe wrenches against a belligerent tanker crew, and the workers paid for the stance they took. Now this 1400-foot I am referring to, it is the “Causeway” that separates “land ahoy” from the berths that steady the mighty tankers when taking on crude oil, and when hull full destined to the West Coast refineries as part of the “Trans-Alaskan-Pipeline-System” in tune to our nation’s quest for “Energy Independence”. So this Alaskan pipeline “dream” in the delivery of a precious cargo aboard ocean going tankers, it is of national interest. That resource in “black gold” has made the State of Alaska wealthy in the tune of $100-billion bucks and multiply that by 88 and see how well-off the “Big Oil” in Alaska has “fare the well” faired. Gives that George Nelson “Fuck Bucks” new challenges in notoriety! It has been that proverbial “geyser” - or “Cashist of Cash Cows” according to the late Congressmen John Dingell - for the EXXON, the SOHIO, the ARCO, the BRITISH PETROLEUM and all the rest of the egos that have financial investment strategies with a lucrative payback in advance - even when an environmental disaster strikes as only an oil company can make a profit on a disaster. And this wreck, sure it cost a whole bunch of relief $loot$, but the entire mess could have been avoided if the “Pipeline People” had listened to the “Hoss”.
The Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the “Pipeline People” chanting a motto of the “Best of the Best”, that which went missing on that “Causeway” back in 1982 and would set the stage for the disaster. It was not an “if” relationship, but “when”. See, that 1400-feet is “No Man’s” land, as it is off limits to most vehicle access and driving privileges extended only for a dedicated cause, to those “Pipeline People” workers that need such access it goes with the territory “take this job and love it” like “on a need to know” basis. And if not a privilege along with a permit, for foot traffic only when permission is not denied. It is an environment wherein hazardous explosive gases may be present, so access is controlled. And when the weather blows cold and wet horizontally from Sawmill Bay, like so in March and every other month in Valdez, do you really think a crew returning from a drinking binge at the Pipeline Club can walk it off? Hell “No, I get by with a little help from my friend” the tanker crews theme song in Valdez.
Now I was working for the “Hoss” - the maintenance supervisor extraordinaire at Alyeska’s Valdez Marine Terminal - and engaged in maintenance work at the tanker loading berths, in that 1982 timeframe, 7-years before the “Exxonageddon Wreck”. Which means plenty of time to address things that warned of an apocalypse in the works, on something that was within our domain a responsibility to contend with. And when a tanker had finished taking on a load of “crude oil” and preparing for departure, my job was to retrieve the process controllers used for the loading operation and emergency shutdown initiations, to prepare the devices for the next tanker arrival. It was a proactive approach that the “Hoss” thought was best for the maintenance department, to meet that “Best of the Best” criteria we thought someone that cared was watching! In reality, it was in consideration it was our responsibility in stewardship to make sure the “complicated” control systems used at the tanker berths to unload ballast water and reload with crude oil worked accordingly. To “safe out” components in efforts to avoid an environmental atrocity should a system’s reliability find compromise outside the design specifications - like a “breach” as the systems could detect a leak and take appropriate action to minimize the side effects of oil overboard. This is wherein oil confined in pipelines meets the water’s edge, so it was a big deal responsibility. And at the same time this approach to minimize equipment failure delays - like maybe already mentioned delays can bring costly fines in excess of $4000 per hour! With that in mind and “Access Permit” in hand from the Marine Crew - the gang that tied up the giant cargo ships and engaged the cargo loading arms for commodity transfer - my presence on the “Causeway” sometimes coincided with the tanker crews returning from a 12-hour furlough. Now Valdez is the sentiment of a “sleepy hollow” town, not much to do but raise a family and spend time fishing the hundreds of streams that flow into the “Sound” and a majority of the residents were somehow or another associated with the “Pipeline” which ended its 800-mile long journey across the bay from the city dock - a stone’s throw away from the “Pipeline Club” and Mike’s Pizza Place. Commercial fishing was the other career, so it was a town wherein oil did mix with the politics of we can have it both ways, until the “Wreck” that is. That is when Mike’s Pizza Place was renamed the “Palace”, as it was the last place Joe Hazelwood visited to toast away his career. Now when a tanker was tied up at the berths, well a still sober crew could easily walk “No Running Allowed” that 1400-foot “Causeway” to meet up with the Yellow Cab that was dispatched from town - a $50-buck ride share. See, the Taximan did not have the privilege to drive that “Causeway”, due liability and to do so, an “Access Permit” from the “Terminal Superintendent” through an act-of-God would have been required and thus such vehicle traffic for humans not affiliated with the “Pipeline People” was “off limits”. So the only way allowed ship to shore and vice versa, footing it, as was the normal course of events for the “Pilots” that steer the tankers through the “Valdez Narrows”. Contrary to popular reasoning, the dedicated tanker Captain - like Joe Hazelwood - they do not have control of the helm until clear of the “Narrows”, as it takes a dedicated and knowledgeable sailor to navigate those treacherous waters. After that, the helm goes back to the ship’s seasoned officers - like Joe again - and wherein the “Bligh Reef” navigational hazard warning beacon noticeable with fear!
Now that “Causeway” of opportunity was the trestle for the crude oil loading lines and on the other side the electrical conduits to power the berth - and there was hydraulic equipment and hazardous fluids feeder lines so a fender bender could mean bankruptcy court for a taxi out-of-control. That could easily consume…look a taxi guy could not afford the liability insurance to cover a crash on a berth, another reason it was off limits to non-essential personnel. And let’s not forget, the berths had active crude oil loading, which means explosive vapors could be present and what in hell does a Taximan know about LEL? Most of the time due conditions “known and then unknown” so caution prevails, my work was under a “Hot Work” permit, wherein it was acknowledged that “explosive vapors” could be present - so no matches allowed. And a vehicle could offer enough residual energy to ignite a vapor source, so we were well trained on the specifics of “evaluating and evacuating” if a compromise confronted us during our work. The reason we carried hand-held radios don’t leave home without it, why the Alyeska trucks had radios, so we could be in communication “all the time” and warned off and away an impending disaster. When you heard “Code Red” broadcast on the ARTS radio, that was serious business. Doubtful, that a Taxi would have such a warning device and in a hurry for drop-off and other passengers in waiting, just drive through that vapor mist of a cloud - poof! I have been on the berths when a fully laden tanker “burps”, it is scary so walk away gently.
That Taxi was the tanker crews freedom, only 1400-feet away, when there came an interest in the only two things of interest in Valdez for the skipper and crew, that ”Mary Ann Ginger” whore and “Gilligan” liquor. Let’s face the facts, these are modern-age tankers owned by “Big Oil”, exception being the SS Manhattan, where the food served onboard is second to none. And entertainment, better then any two-bit Showcase Cinema and Valdez didn’t even have a movie theater, and ever see a tanker’s “game room”? Look, there were only those two things of interest that “furlough” to freedom was of interest to risk getting in trouble. OK, maybe there were other reasons, but let me know when you find out what it is that attracted this freedom away from a “steel hull” of luxury. Going to town to buy flowers? It’s Valdez, and that pink flower of interest a gift for that far away spouse, it is a “fire” weed! Now the crews would return via that same local taxi, as Valdez was a one-horse town and since none of the crew members were behind the wheel of misfortune yet, it was very easy for the sober taximan to get through the tight “Terminal” security with the deadweight - as there are no Alaskan laws that say you can’t be inebriated as a passenger. And access to the “Marine Terminal” for the Taxicab with a returning tanker crew was easier then what the workers went through on a daily basis, wherein that required a security walk-through screening. So this was common practice, the returning tanker crews a little toasted, needing so badly that “stateroom” to sleep it off so easy an access - and the reason “Auto-pilot” was in demand on the “bridge” after traversing the “Narrows”. Time to point it out for clarification, the “Valdez Marine Terminal” was a “No Trespass Zone” that fell under the “watchtower” of too many agencies to list, both Federal and State jurisdictional control. FBI and Special Forces would dress as “terrorists” and practice “breaching” the security at the “Terminal”, entering from the surrounding mountains and water boarding in the dead of night, due the national interest importance. This all before 9/11. A sign warned of that “Restricted Access”: Authorized Personnel Only - All Vehicles & Persons Entering Are Subject to Search. No Unauthorized Firearms, Weapons or Pepper Spray. No Alcoholic Beverages or Illegal Drugs. That warning tells it all, with the search criteria. Now remember, the Taximan could not drive that taxi loaded with half-dead once able-bodied mariners to the gang-plank at the end of the “Causeway”, so what to do? That is wherein somebody thought it a good idea for the maintenance workers to assist getting the deadweight back onboard, then shoved off to sea good riddance out-of-sight and out-of-mine please pass by that “reef” at white-lightning speed! Only Alyeska personnel were allowed driving privileges on the “Causeways” that connected land to the berths, 4-total as the Marine Terminal was a busy place with 2-million barrels each day arriving via the TAPS from Prudhoe Bay. And YES, that 1400-foot “Causeway” should have been enough of a distance to confront this “Exxonageddon” disaster - as it was an inevitable that if there is a compromise in the oversight - some see it fitting to take advantage of it. Now since start-up of the pipeline and for about 5-years following the ribbon cutting ceremony with “Oil In”, the tanker crews minded their manners. Never once in those beginning years was I ever asked to assist a crew of fools back to a tanker and I didn’t sign up for this duty to be an escort service. But mankind finds a weakness in violation of self-serving, and with such a good record so far with the TAPS, that is when complacency sets in like a fever - when an opportunity to breach “tranquility” allowed misfits to dictate the normal course of events, and things went progressively worse with give them an inch they take a mile.
It was towards the end of the work shift and I was working down at the Control “shack” of Berth#5 and trying to beat the clock back to the base, as the Alyeska bus leaves on time to take the workers back to town - those choosing not to drive back and forth. Pete does the driving, we do the sleeping. But when I was about to exit the berth and drive away down the “Causeway”, I was radioed by one of the Marine Department crew-members who requested I assist the taximan at the road leading to the “Causeway”. He didn’t mention the reason, but we worked as a team so I acknowledged his request and was radio Roger’d a thanks. Maybe it was a pizza order and the guy was hungry but couldn’t leave his post - hope it was paid for! But as I approached the end of the “Causeway”, it looked as though a Yellow Submarine Cab full of drunken seamen, returning from that furlough, needing a lift back to their ship for a sleepover. So like what was becoming somewhat of a normal pain in the ass, I assisted hauling the dead-weight into the bed of the pickup I was “privileged” with and headed in reverse down to the berth’s gang-plank as the tanker’s able-bodied crew that remained onboard came to the rescue. It was one of those things that was starting to bug the hell out of me, as this was a blatant disregard for what I had come to understand the “Pipeline People” were all about, these crew-members were not fit for anything but a sleep-off! This was one of those “turn a blind eye” things, as there was no real solution except - well confine the damn crews to their quarters - so what the Taximan goes broke! It takes about 12-hours to load a tanker, start to finish. I worked a 12-hour day, it goes quickly as does the 12-hours in rest mode. There was NO reason a tanker crew had to leave the ship and go to the town of Valdez, unless for an ulterior motive of deceit taking advantage of a broke system in merit. It had to be a headache and a security risk, as there was nothing secretive about this behavior and poor contractor security - can they speak up about this? They didn’t, as once through the security gate, it was someone else’s problem - the reason I was now involved once again in an act that was down-right wrong! Yes, I was just as guilty as the management that was allowing this to continue on, double jeopardy abuse.
Of course not happy when I finally departed the “Causeway” after going out of my way to help…I was an accomplice to a heinous motive and I already missed that bus ride home so had to call my wife to come rescue me. That meant an entire hour late getting home after a normal 12-hour shift - so it meant very little time with my kids before that bed roll called, for me that 5am comes quick! Working a 12-hour shift in the cold and raw of Valdez, it takes its toll and the reason unwanted interference from something not part of my job requirements when I signed up - it was wrong! And where in hell would I put “escort drunks” as part of my qualifications on my next job application? Now like I have already alluded upon, this was becoming too much of a normal routine occurrence, a nuisance. And for real at first, I didn’t really mind, as a project of this enormousness takes the undivided attention of many individuals and organizations for success and the latter takes time to iron out the wrinkles. That has been the TAPS legend since the construction era. My sentiment this was one of those “wrinkles”, until that overtime hour for staying past the time-clock to assist “dead weight” was rejected by the payroll department in Anchorage, at the company headquarters and I thought “crime pays”! It was rejected because of the description I provided in efforts to legitimize the extra wage. I told it like it was on my timesheet. Please explain reason for any Overtime Hours Worked in excess of normal Overtime Hours: “Requested by operations to assist the drunk tanker crew to the berth”. Now when the timesheet was rejected, the “Hoss” and I had a good laugh, we both stood our ground and refused to alter the timesheet - in realization that it was illegal for anybody but the worker to revise a wage earner’s timesheet. It was rejected again, and I was informed until such time I explained the legitimate reason for the extra hour, that I would not get paid as the reason so far was unacceptable. See, the payroll people said it wasn’t work, according to my job description! But it was the “Truth”. And it was not one of those back stabbing things wherein the payroll people refused to pay up, wherein a complaint with the State Labor Department could referee, someone was not willing to accept it of record my reason - as the folks in Anchorage had no idea what went on with the “Tanker Crews” in Valdez. I was not about to pull a fibonacci, thus I got screwed - so that would set the stage for a confrontation and the “Hoss” was ready for a “fight”, for a reason justified. We had been looking for an excuse to get away from this escort BS. For the most part the first 5-years of the pipeline’s operation, the “Marine Terminal” with respect to maintenance of a complicated “infrastructure”, we done it on our own with very little help from the “townies”. We did not need help from Anchorage, like so the “mindset” used to control the pipeline’s “mentality”, and that bugged some of the executive management. But at the same time we were seeing the writing on the “wall”, the winds of change uncomfortable, that the pipeline mentality in management style was heading our way - forced down our throats that would prove to be a bad option in opportunity doesn’t always knock with friendliness. All good things come to an end!
Sure enough a few weeks later, I was performing similar maintenance work down at Berth#4 when the BOC operator requested my assistance with a tanker crew that had just been dropped off by the Yellow Cab. History repeats itself, same old story. But it was lunch time and I wasn’t about to cave in again, to give up my “break time” for a bunch of misfits and my wife was expecting, so that was a time to call home and check in - my priorities! And it was not a bad day weather wise, so fuck’m let them walk to the gang-plank, in fact maybe let them try walking that plank as a cold ocean breeze is a great socialized drinker’s soberizer! And this carefree disregard from the tanker crew, it was at the stage of enough was enough, time for that confrontation which was in the brew cycle. OK, it was but for a few bad apples, as most of the time the crews stayed on board the vessels during the ballast unloading and crude oil loading, as many of the foreign flagged tanker crewmen didn’t have passports so could not leave the deck - unless for a medical emergency. Yet, there was a leak in the stature of ethics, that was tainting the entire process in compromise - no longer a foolproof objective and rather on the obnoxious. It seemed to be a blatant disregard for what this entire TAPS was founded upon. RESPECT ring a bell?
When I reached the end of the “Causeway” at the “land ahoy” because I had to safe-out a circuit before leaving and thus delayed a few minutes, this tanker crew was already unruly and started banging on the truck, like in a fun filled good ol’ boys we are and “we own your ass” sort of childish manner. Now the “Causeway” is a single lane trestle, and vehicles and pedestrians don’t get along - so when there is foot traffic, it means any vehicle movement is stagnated or considered a hit-and-run plow down. So I was stopped dead in my tracks, and not enough drivable turf to get off the “Causeway” and onto the main “Terminal Access” road, my exit to safety. Funny it was, as I had locked the vehicle’s doors, so when one of the goons tried to hijack a front seat, well tempers started boiling over. And I was going to hold my ground this time around and called the “Hoss” and knew he would be here in a flash, about 4-minutes away. I told him to jump in a maintenance utility truck, knowing that each truck was equipped with an assortment of RIGID pipe wrenches - which may come in handy. As I hung up the radiophone in what was fuming over into a dire straits confrontation, off in the distance I could see the monument unveiled in 1980, a dedication to the workers on the pipeline - and that preserved hope and faith that what I was doing was a contribution to that “monument”. Especially the image of the “Welder”, as many of us understood that to be Junior Leslie with the stick, the 798er who was tasked to weld the tie-in pipe in the treacherous “Thompson Pass” just up the road.
For some reason I could sense that this day was not going to end with a laugh, but a smile in glory. Like Junior Leslie told it like it was, that “he did it for the UNION”, I was standing my ground “I did it for the WORKERS”. Look, I was a roustabout, I was an Alaskan and had face to face encounters with bears - I surely wasn’t afraid of what was soon to confront me. In fact, I welcomed it, even if it turned into a “slug fest”! There was this craving SOB attitude, like the tanker crews thought their shit didn’t stink and that they could get away with belittling the workers - a pirate’s attitude with no teeth just a bark. By this time, another unwelcome crewmember that woke out of a stupor was a little obnoxious and getting in my face through a semi-open window, and when he stuck his hand through the opening and pointed a finger like a gun, that’s when I showed my goods, the RIGID 818 and told the tanker guy to fuck off. I called the “Hoss” and told him things were getting “heated” and at the same time the BOC operator was checking in to see what was going on, as the tower at the berth was a good look-out and I suspected the operator was witnessing the confrontation brewing. I radioed the operator, “Under Control - Over” as the “Hoss” radio relayed he was on the way, with “Big Jim” and Miller and I knew Jim always carried the 818, as bear protection. And Miller was one not to mess with. He was from the LA refinery scene, and it always scared him living now in Valdez - that he couldn’t see the air and rough as nails was his smile. And that is why we decided to fight it out, a drunken tanker crew and a fully laden tanker doesn’t fit well in keeping the “Prince” safe and sound! This was all before video recorded our every move. Knowing the “Hoss” and reinforcements were close by, I maneuvered my truck to block the trestle’s access so there was no escape for the tanker crew, about 5 guys. OK, the only retreat was to beat it up through the brush, and black bears called this place their home. Soon the “Hoss” showed up with Miller and Big Jim, and the “Hoss” being large in character but small in size, when he jumped out of the red Alyeska Suburban with a Rigid 836, it got the point across and that tanker crew went really scared, in realization we had the wrench power, hard hats and steel-toed safety boots that can shatter an opponent’s knee cap to smithereens. And that crew was all neatly dressed for that furlough, we were in NOMEX coveralls so could stand the heat - it looked bad for the tanker boys. And the “Hoss” in his glory like I had never witnessed before, banishing an 836, that has the jaws to cinch a 5-inch pipe! With the sign of force, the Master called off the barking dogs and they started that 5-minute walk towards the plank - footing it in retreat once I backed off my truck blocking their path to freedom back to that tanker in waiting! Maybe a little sober-up time to bat, a good enough breeze and sailing proudly the American Flag off in the distance. That “Causeway”, hey if you couldn’t navigate it on your own accord, best take a back seat in the sober-up slammer. And “Hoss” said he had reinforcements ready and willing, electricians with RIGID conduit benders that could second as an Al Capone like batting ram and the mechanics on “call” also, with RIGID chain vices to use as shackles to arrest the bastards! They messed with the wrong damn roustabouts! But we held our ground, and their retreat was testament to our commitment, as we realized there could be fallout our steadfast resolve. Then again, would they mess with the “Best” in realization that their good thing “furlough” could be soon ended or find restrictions? See, that 1400-feet of “Causeway” was the key to it all, as the “Terminal Superintendent” held the permission slip of control on who could access that piece of turf between ship and shore. And it was a “Highly Restricted Zone”, so an easy out for the local command to ban any further crew movement, until such time a remedy could be found - that is what we expected would be the outcome our “Rebellion”. If there came a complaint from the tanker agents our “Hellion” action, we had the goods to exonerate our stand and at the same time evidence enough to indict the tanker crews’ stupidity, those that had taken advantage of an opportunity, from demonstrated past issues. And the fact we had to show force, to raise pipe wrenches in “solidarity”, it would be suicide for the jerks to make a commotion - best they leave it well enough alone. After retreating back to the maintenance shop, we felt really good, really proud what we did - don’t mess with the “Best of the Best”!
But this confrontation came too close for comfort, especially when threats of “overboard with him” were overheard when the crew retreated, scary because if you mysteriously fall over the “Causeway” railing into the water of Sawmill Bay, hypothermia can take over really quick and the currents with an outgoing tide, good luck finding any evidence. That is when we decided enough was enough and it was time to take a stand with the 5th Floor over at the Bragaw Headquarters in Anchorage - a long ways away. Just a victory for us in the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” by the tanker crews retreat, it didn’t go far enough. This was our land, our home and we felt this win was only a short winded victory and “Hoss” felt that we were in the business to safely receive and re-deliver the oil commodity. We were not in the business to allow a tanker crew to wreck that “home”, as another writing on the wall the long-term effect such dereliction could administer if went unchecked. When you know something is wrong and don’t speak up, that is not an option the “Hoss” was about to gamble upon. And with a so far good record of achievement, with the 5th anniversary of the pipeline already history in the making and some 3-billion barrels transferred from the pipeline throughput already sent to refineries on the West Coast for motor gasoline production, we did not want our efforts ridiculed in a mess. And with over 4000 tanker “safe journeys”, what we were witnessing that which could robe those credentials, well it was not a systemic wide-spread problem - just that few bad apples no apologies necessary from the pipeline workers when the disaster hits. Drunk and rowdy sailors, that is what we are talking about and they were blatantly getting away with it, on our watch! Why no one in authority had yet spoken up about it, beyond speculation. Not anymore we proclaimed, the cat was out of the bag and we would rely on the “Hoss” to make the next move.
But a few days later, the “Hoss” seemed out of sorts, and he confided in me that nobody in the local administration rank and file wanted to deal with the tanker crew mess. WTF? Yes, it was a well-known problem up the chain-of-command and now we had a close call encounter conflict - what to do next? It was that “close call” that said it all, it was now no longer an out-of-site out-of-mind “kids will be kids” exchange - it was life threatening! Look, an obnoxious tanker guy puts his hand on me, I will wrench him, I will hurt him. Hear me out loud and clear, “I will end you. I will fucking end you. You got that chief?” And if my “Good Will Hurting” recovers that blow by an 818, the scars will show in disgust of disgrace! There was no honor, these sailors that think just because they have these DWT licenses that a DUI is allowed as an endorsement. We worked with equipment that had “Caution:13800Volts”, who was the man in the house? The “Hoss”, now out of sorts, jokingly made mention that if the workers were “Unionized”, that there would have been a better reception or at least a fallback plan of attack - called a “vigilante man grievance” proceeding. And maybe he was right, as many of the crew thought that maybe it was time to get traction from a “Union” as along with that “conflict”, there were other things that seemed to show signs of a weakness in protecting the worker rights. After the “Hoss” went to bat for the “Workers verses the Tanker Crewmen” in the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”, I was called before the “Terminal Superintendent” who offered to hear my side of the clash. I didn’t ask for his time, as by now loosing faith in the management and in support of a “Union” effort to protect what we had worked so hard for, a living without interference. See, the “Hoss” went out of his way, and it appeared that now he was getting skunked. So I met with Mr. Ivan at his office over at the OCC Headquarters - wherein the 800-mile pipeline is controlled, and after a good handshake nothing more of interest so suspicion upon a guy we very seldom saw out and about the 1000-acre “Terminal Complex”, I began a timeline rendition of what transpired. And reiterated how it seemed such interference was starting to become the normalcy, while emphasizing past concerns with what appeared to be problematic with a “minority” of the tanker crews foot loose come furlough time. In the end, he offered a very shallow thanks, no questions and nothing about a follow-up. I was double-crossed, as this was a time wherein the workers were being “spied” upon, for suspicious activity like in “Unionizing”, and there was a “mole” in our midst. That is all this meeting aroused, so somebody on the other end of the speaker-phone - maybe Mr. Fuck Bucks - could get ammunition when push comes to shove. And this Ivan, he was paving the way to move away from Valdez because his wife did not like the quaintness of a town that gets way too much snow and very little sunshine. The “Pipeline Wives Club” was not that debutante social gathering in glamor. Needless to say but share, there was to follow no rocking of the boat by the person in charge of the “Terminal”, business as usual as the “mindset” to advance up the ranks in management was to leave well enough alone if it involved an “Owner Company” obligation! The tanker crews’ furlough in “bad habits” with drinking, it was not an Alyeska problem, it was a “Big Oil” dilemma - but if not remedied, Alyeska could have and should have put a STOP to it. The company did nothing! Take that back, the company reacted by taking actions against the workers who voiced a concern, a once proud organization turned a disgruntled workforce. That “force majeure” reasoning, show the workers who is the “Boss” so they bend over and keep quiet. Punish a few for the rest to see, as people will then think twice. Don’t rock the boat? Well “Bligh Reef” would one day for sure rock Captain Joe out of a stupor, what can I say! And I hope, that through the trial and tribulations upon the “writing” in “Truth” this coverage that I am getting the point of contention across, that the root cause of the “EXXONageddon Wreck” was staring the powers-to-be straight in the face of doom, but denial finds friendship in “greed”.
Sad bad times were here, yet the “Hoss” was not so soon willing to give up by throwing in the towel, as it was no doubt a serious situation that had unfolded as a “brawl”, like a James Cagney Roaring Twenties “dock side” fist fight. Even though our show of force calmed the nerves, next time an outcome may not be so lucky. That said, “Hoss” was going to give it another shot, going higher up the chain of command - which would be like signing a death wish for any further advancements in the company. It was that last unturned stone jurisdictional matter move, stepping outside the domain and boundaries of the “Terminal”, to George “Fuck Buck’s” domain. And since the maintenance department was already under the watchtower for suspicious activity its interest to “Unionize”, it would be but a matter of time before a plan of attack would be hatched to disarm that interest. That priority thing, when instead of looking at the problem at hand that was blinding us with attention, just forget about that and prioritize how to attack the dedication of the workers grieved by the local management its inability or willingness to listen up and act. I stand corrected, they listened and they acted, against us. Look, it doesn’t take a NASA scientist to grasp an understanding what it means to get behind the wheel of a vehicle when under-the-influence, or when “tipsy” behind the wheelhouse rudder for a vessel that is classified as 250000 Dead-Weight-Tonnes! But when push comes to shove, who cares if we sign our own death wish - at least it is something we can live with should a disaster occur - and it would! An everyday since that “Exxonageddon Wreck”, no I don’t repeat with anger “we told you so”, I just try to find an understanding why a management decision took the detour instead. Saving grace, no stain on my soul and those that could have made a difference, now in retirement hope you enjoy Satin’s venomous snake lair - it follows you to the grave as you leave behind a legacy inheritance of shame. You may think you can forget about it, but that stain remains just like the oil stuck still in the shoreline rocks of “Green Island”.
The “Hoss” and I had a show & tell scheduled for January in Anchorage, at the Bragaw Headquarters wherein we were to show off a “Test” device that held promise not only for the process controls at the Marine Terminal, but showed merit for the pipeline activities also, so it would be a “kill two birds with one stone” approach. It would give the “Hoss” that opportunity to bring the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” up the chain. By this time, the “Hoss” had called to order all the lead maintenance workers how we were to handle any future requests to escort the tanker crews, adamant that no further obligations to assist in a ride-share to the tankers along the “Causeways”. Due the seriousness of this matter in the fact that there was a close call brawl good thing for the “RIGID”, that a memo mentioning “No More Rides” for the tanker crews on the “Causeways” was not necessary - as a direct command was a better ways and means to get the point across. And the “Hoss” had the greatest of respect from his crew, so rest assured that edict would be followed. And when the rumor mill allowed our vigilance to make our day that we would no longer take pity as an accomplice, that we would not be “bullied” when we started saying “Hell No More”, that did not go over too well with the “Operations”. They had become just too damn comfortable using us for accomplices at getting the drunks aboard a tanker that was heading out to sea with a boat load of toxicity. And what we did not know at the time, with respect to the extent, that there was a corporate “SPY” amongst us that was passing first-hand information our efforts back to town and the wheels of change were already taking place our future - more in tune to a sabotage. We were considered “trouble-makers” by virtue our interest in “Unionizing” and the fact we were not about to allow a tanker crew from “Big Oil” tell us what to do. And if the “Fuck Bucks” management wanted to bend over to the “pirates”, have at it but now you have just stepped in your own mess. Yes, we would refuse to help foster a “mindset” setting the stage for a disaster. And that said, we were sick and tired getting called away from more critical work to help a bunch of pukes.
See, this was a difficult situation at hand. Alyeska could have changed the course of that ill-fated EXXON Valdez by listening up before Joe went “off-course”, instead of a vagrant disregard the concerns of dedicated workers. To take a proactive approach, sure it would have cost as it meant management now tasked with finding a “legal and legitimate” ways and means to get the tanker crews back to that gang-plank on time for sea “worthy” deployment. And regardless of the end result in a blame game, that responsibility was Alyeska’s to take ownership, as the “Causeways” were “Restricted Access Only”, due many factors in liability already mentioned. But the real headache with accepting that 1400-foot reach in “responsibility”, what does Alyeska do when a tanker crew smells of “vodka”? We had not the option of arresting or restraining, all we could do is call security and by the time someone showed up, of course the crews would have already escaped to freedom onboard, which was off-limits to even Alyeska’s security - it was then the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard. So no matter how many agencies had their fingers in the “cookie jar” of jurisdictional oversight, there were cracks in the hull of stewardship. And let’s remember, Alyeska was a conglomerate owned by the most powerful American oil companies, the same corporations that own the tankers and have but one desire - getting that oil to markets. Let me put it in perspective. When “West Texas Intermediate” crude oil sets the slate at $30-dollars per barrel - circa 1982 - when that “oil” is refined it makes $80-dollars in gasoline sales, so a $50-buck profit after all the labor and transportation costs are said and done. It’s called up-front homogenizing, pre-emptive inflation adjustment! Let me go one step further. Have any idea what the “lifting costs” of oil from “Prudhoe Bay” are? In the late 80s it was about $2-bucks. Add a pipeline tariff of a few bucks more and a tanker transport tariff an additional few bucks more, the end result is humongous profit-sharing for every barrel of oil lifted from the massive Prudhoe Bay oil field - the reason it is called the “Black Gold”. Well enough, what does that have to do with anything? When Joe “Exxonageddon” Hazelwood became famous, in the hours following that catastrophic “avoidable collision” mess no way an accident, the only thing that the oil company CEOs went concerned about was the fact the Coast Guard had closed the “Valdez Narrows” to tanker traffic. And that was causing a pipeline throughput decrease, due inventory restrictions in Valdez topping off the storage tanks. Which was causing the “Big Oil” to see an unpredictable slide in everyday profits - that’s all they cared about, getting the tanker traffic lanes opened again so oil transport could continue to fill the corporate “Fuck Bucks Coffers”. See, for the non-EXXON greedsters, they knew it wasn’t their problem that Joe rammed his boat into the rocks, so gave not a rat’s ass what happened to Prince William Sound. Read the “phone log” transcripts between Alyeska’s George “Fuck Bucks” Nelson and George M. Nelson of British Petroleum, it was a joke what priorities were bargained for while oil was still pouring out of the 30-foot cracks in the “can opened” hull of the EXXON Valdez!
And if Alyeska’s executive management had not gone intoxicated with greed and thus losing its way forward its “ethic responsibility” this problem, it could have challenged itself to dream up a plan that was equitable in still allowing that “furlough freedom”. But if it still instilled the distills, then arrest the bastards or at least deny access even through the front door - build a sleep off detention wing at the main gate. So what if a tanker crew was a “no show” at sailing time, but that caused scheduling delays which means “fines” for the tanker owners and with more and more oil heading our way…it meant lost profits! And here is the thorn in the side of why the only something to get done was an attack and sabotage on the “good will” of those taking a stand - that UNION. During construction of the Trans-Alaskan-Pipeline, due safety concerns with workers there came an ever-increasing bargaining unit presence through “Union” representation. Jimmy Hoffer and the “Teamsters” along with Junior Leslie and the 798 welders, it made a difference and that increased the construction costs considerably. Now when oil flowed and construction crews demobilized, so did the “Union” presence move south. It was dismantled for the most part, by placating healthy wages and reliable working conditions. Regardless, the scare that kept Alyeska and “Big Oil” up all night - because they are one in the same mold in greed - it was not a tanker wreck or pipeline leak, it was the revitalization of a “Union”. And the time was ripe, as a small fraction of the work-force in Valdez was now entertaining that option. And the scare factor, it would be like wild-fire heading north faster then that oil coming south. First consuming the pipeline workers then a bleed over to the oil fields - a “Union” that could be 10000 workers strong and in control of 20% of the nation’s energy resource. Yes, way more powerful then the corporate mentality could or would want to handle, at least it would have meant drunk tanker captains a thing of the past! Or sent to the dry out brink! But instead of the management addressing the stuff that could cause a wreck on the rocks because of too much consumption “on the rocks” come that “furlough”, time to break up that “Union” drive desire. That is all they cared about, and thus “under-the-radar” found a change of priorities.
One last thing before moving on to Alyeska’s plan of sabotage to silence those that were blowing the whistle on the tanker crews. Green Island was one of my favorite places to take the kids, a beautiful little island on the outskirts of the “Sound” in the backdrop of “Mighty” Montague and “Fighting” Knight islands. About 50-miles from Joe’s “geyser” relief and that island received a direct hit the wave of toxicity from the “Exxonageddon Wreck”. If you venture that island’s shoreline today, please do not, I caution Do Not disturb the rocks as weathered oil remains in a state of shock, residing in a death-grip hibernation. It waits in limbo to unleash that toxicity, like a stain for life. When the EXXON Valdez rocked that “Good Friday” of 1989 into submission a new age “crucifixion” time for Jesus to move over, one prominent scientist said the only way to get rid of the leaked oil, nuke “Bligh Island”. Now even though that was the only way to get rid of the “stain”, so would it decimate and disintegrate all the other living things, including humans. He may have been right the significance of a “nuke”, as the “stain” lingers on as does the “decimate and disintegrate” even without a nuke attack. Sad, it could have been avoided, read on please.
Anyway, when I accompanied the “Hoss” to Anchorage, the first order of business went well, our “Show & Tell” while demonstrating a new computerized concept to calibrate devices in a timely and accurate manner. In fact “raved reviews” found it a subject matter of interest in the “Alyeska Insider” - a company publication that highlighted the efforts of the workers up and down the pipeline. We knew that would be the case, no second guessing our technical credibility how we were performing at the “Terminal”. Easily exceeding expectations with respect to keeping the complicated control systems working properly so that the numerous “operating permits” were adhered to and the “Terminal” could accommodate the increased “throughput” coming down the pipeline. And even though there were issues that needed addressing and outside our jurisdiction, we performed our duties and were always encouraged by the “Hoss” to make it better. Hey, we were doing our job, so why not management the same? That is what the “Hoss” was after. But the “on a need to know” meeting with the people high up the chain-of-command paid handsomely to listen - as Alyeska advertised an “open door policy” and a laughable “Don’t shoot the messenger” policy - it did not go over too well for “Hoss”. Like in the rejection of my timesheet prior to the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” because of the reason I stated for some unscheduled “OT”, which the payroll folks found not in compliance with an acceptable reason. To reiterate, that being the helping of a drunked-up tanker crew maneuver the “Causeway” to the safety of that onboard sober-up stateroom. Along with the risky belief that we were assisting a tanker crew that had been drinking and a hesitation our call to help, almost starting a brawl - well that fell on deaf ears in a “quick assessment” denial scenario. And the “Hoss” relayed to me that there was another confrontation while we were driving over to Anchorage, so something needed to be done. Yet it appeared…they knew what we were talking about yet already refusing to listen up. See, the guilt was upon their own damn evil hands and because it had gone on for some time and was getting progressively worse because an easy carefree solution didn’t exist, the sentiment was keep on giving in keep the fingers crossed! But the “Hoss” was adamant that his crew would no longer assist a tanker crew, unless during an emergency.
On the 6-hour drive back to Valdez, I could tell that the “Hoss” was now in a strained relationship with the Bragaw Street “mentality broken”, the 5th Floor where all the executive action makes or breaks the will of the workers. And when we stopped at the Eureka Roadhouse for a burger, about the only thing smiled upon by the “Hoss” that entire journey back home, he told me that it felt good that day he held that RIGID in defiance. That was a signal, a sign of “solidarity” that he was with us and not against us if we went “Union”. And soon, that “home” we had put so much into to make sure we did things right, it would be but a thing of the past. I sensed that the “Hoss”, who should have been the individual groomed for the “Terminal Superintendent”, that future was done with down the drain. He stepped outside the Ivan domain, that would ruffle feathers. Had there been respectable management that listened in earnest to our concerns a few bad apples, well the “Hoss” would have been one day in charge of that “Marine Terminal”. And guess what, if that promotion was signed, sealed and delivered before the damn “Exxonageddon”, that event would have never found the opportunity to occur other then a pure accident out of our hands! I can guarantee you that, that one individual “Hoss” would have made damn sure of it. I will say it again. If the “Hoss” had become the “Marine Terminal Superintendent” a promotion he so deserved, the EXXON Valdez would not have been a disaster but for an accident - not the premeditated nightmare that should have been avoided as it could have been had Alyeska’s “management in the know” not minded its own business. Alyeska’s management, the George “Fuck Bucks” Nelson should have taken the “Big Oil” to task its tanker crews madness to go ashore for whores and booze. But instead, Mr. Ivan was replaced by another “Yes” man, and I for one can testify that the lingering “stain” of the “Exxonageddon” is not on my soul, nor upon the soul of the “Hoss” resting in peace today, nor upon those Patriots that showed solidarity with the “RIGID” during the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”. But it wasn’t over with yet, we still had a job to do even though we understood it was just a matter of time before the management treats us like rebellious troublemakers and breaks up the “mutiny”. Yes, it was a “mutiny” as by now the concerted effort for a “Union” movement, that was yet another bone of contention the management had to deal with. One day the “Hoss” waved me to come into his office, as the “Terminal Superintendent” was trying to come up with a compromise of how to handle the demands to get the tanker crews from “land ahoy” to the gang-plank in a timely fashion. That was not the point, the bone of contention is what to do if alcohol was detected? Would you give your teenage kid the keys to your car if the kid was drinking? Same thing, we were the adults in the “house”, yet the management kids thought differently and afraid to confront this problem head on. Just the fact there appeared to be some semblance of an elevated concern after “Hoss” opened up the can of worms in detailing to upper-crust management the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”, that his workers had to arm themselves with pipe wrenches upon an unruly tanker crew, well it was all a facade. We started carrying the “RIGID”, just incase and in realization it would probably take a broken-skull before something was done. So sad, a few bad apple ombres, making it miserable for the entire industry.
I worked with an Athabaskan, a guy named Frank. And many of his native kin believed he held the spirit power of a Shaman. One day he pointed out that a “Raven” rode alongside the “Hoss”. So what, does it mean something of significance? Frank told me it was bad for the “Hoss” and bad for his adversaries.
Within a few months after we blew the whistle an “Hoss” blew a louder whistle in the ears of the upper command following the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”, that blew a fuse with the 5th Floor at Bragaw and he was demoted and transferred up the pipeline. The excuse we learned, the “Hoss” had lost touch with the workers and the reason the workers had engaged in “Unionizing”, a weakness that fell on his lack of management capabilities. It was a cop out excuse, he was one hell of a manager, it was sad and following that forced move, the “Hoss” would never be the same as now he had to deal with a style of management that was cut-throat. We saw it coming, this “cut-throat” reality as it appeared that reject pipeline managers were being sent to pasture in Valdez - as seat warmers but started causing all kinds of problems. For real, these guys had one obligation, kiss ass so as to shine in the eyes of the 5th Floor and as far as following the “Operating Permits”, that was starting to be but a joke. It was intentional sabotage, due the same kind of idiocy that followed that tanker crew of misfits, so there was no way in hell our “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” concerns would ever be taken seriously. But it was of record. A disaster was in the making, on many fronts. And for sure, we missed the “Hoss” and the camaraderie he extended as a professional, as a friend and it was like a hurricane had hit and toppled the righteousness he had instilled as a “Boss” when assigned as the maintenance chief in Valdez. It would never be the same, as by now the “pipeline mentality” had taken over. Look, what was good for 800-miles of pipe isn’t necessarily good for the end-of-the-line, the “Marine Terminal” was an entirely different animal. And most pipeline engineers, weren’t worth beans at the “Terminal”, a whole different process and much more complicated but because of success on the line, the “townies” found a carte blanch to take it all away. That said, it shifted responsibilities and things of concern, well the back-burner was well fired up with things needing attention going up in smoke. The “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” would be forgotten about, and more likely then not, the bad habits of the tanker crews would continue on, unabated and probably find more freedom to take advantage of a sad situation - that being the inability of an upper-management to take things seriously.
One day the pump station that the “Hoss” was in charge of just 65-miles up the road from Valdez had a “pump” problem. The weather was marginal but there was the need to get a pump specialist from Anchorage. It was at a time the pipeline was in a ramp-up mode breaking all previous records and all pumping capacity was required at that station, to move that oil head up and over “Thompson Pass”. But due that “marginal weather” and late at night, the “Hoss” did not want to charter a plane with the helping hand, that could wait until better weather, and daylight. He was over-ruled by the “Pipeline Superintendent” and at 205am the plane carrying the pump guy crashed and killed all three passengers aboard - including the two pilots. This would forever ruin a good man, as even though his command was over-ruled, the “Hoss” was the kind of character that would not forget and place blame on himself. We were dealing with cut-throat bastards in individuals that cared not a rat’s ass about anybody but themselves.
And soon after, so was I force transferred away from the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion Terminal” and for both the “Hoss” and myself, it was the end of what was at one time beginning to look like a lucrative career - but we refused to go along with the flow to allow the “drunk” act to placate a “no big deal” mentality. Boy oh boy, were they wrong and they knew it, yet refused to act as denial is like a sinister virus - they were afraid to confront “Big Oil” and guess what happened? My transfer followed a day I went looking for trouble, why not as I had done my time here at the “Terminal” and had nothing to loose, as by now a new posse management style was about to destroy everything we had worked so hard to elevate to the highest of standards. Look, they had no qualms killing people, or putting them in compromising situations where the reward would find that grave.
I was down at Berth#3, at the PDC, the control shack that is just up the causeway proper from the berth. My truck was not blocking the “causeway” and parked kitty-corner, pickup gate open as I was calibrating some equipment. There wasn’t much going on, a tanker tied up and de-ballasting when sure enough, here comes a crew returning from that “furlough” and walking for a change, as it was a very decent summer day for a change. Just two crew guys, and I would find out later that it was a transfer of crew members from one tanker to another - so they had hitched a ride from Berth#4 with one of the “Pilots” that steer the tankers out of Valdez. The “Pilots” drive onto the “Terminal” on a frequent basis, but still do not find driving privileges on the “Restricted Causeways”. I could hear the two men pass by the “shack” as the door was open. Soon, I heard some commotion, only to step out the door and witness one of the crewmen letting it hang and “pissing” over the railing! And noticed he had placed a traveling luggage bag in the pickup bed. Now “urinating” in public at the “Marine Terminal” was a direct firing offense, and dam it, this was our home and we didn’t want it smelling like a “homeless” camp. So I jumped in the truck and gunned it down the causeway, making like I didn’t realize the guy’s traveling bag was left in my possession. I could see them jumping up and down, and yelling to “STOP, which I disregarded. And when I hit the “mainland”, some wild turns and soon that luggage was overboard and stuff flying about every which way but loose. I shove the truck in reverse, and perform a double jeopardy runover of the goods. This "uriniation" was but for another abuse, as the berths have what is called the $1-million dollar crapper - special hi-tech latrines for the marines. And the damn tanker was about a 100-feet away, another 60 feet up the gang-plank - go piss in your own fucking backyard! Before I hi-tailed it back to the shop, I could see the guys still running to catch the flying debris. What luggage? And come to find out, the tanker companies are required to maintain an agent in Valdez, why in hell are not they doing the driving of the crews back and forth from town - easy answer, they knew what was going on and had washed their hands of the crew abuse a long time ago.
After I was transferred away from Valdez and up the pipeline, a rather weird thing happened, and before the “Wreck”. We still had no idea the rat, the “mole” that was passing information about our concerns and “Union” interest to the powers-to-be in Anchorage. Look, as a worker right I have the right to join a “Union”, that is the American way of life under a “Democracy”. And if a “Union” had been organized in Valdez, I could have filed a “grievance” over the drunk tanker crews in violation of my “peace and dignity”. See, all such grievances require an investigation and participation by the “Union” bosses and company bosses, so no quick cover up shove it under the rug bullshit exits with a bargaining unit - only solutions! And we were pretty sure that Bragaw Street had engaged in “spying” on our efforts - just did not know the extend of the “privacy violations”, as that is against the law. It is also very unethical. I mean if I was told during an interview that a company enjoys spying on its workers…take this application and shove it! One day I was at a new church after relocating away from Valdez to Anchorage. And low and behold at donut time after communion, a bunch of Alyeska management types congregating. Now I had also received an “anonymous memo” from a secret source, a correspondence between the Human Resource Manager and the Company president, Mr. Jim. It went into detail my association with the “Union” activity and the damn person making this crap up, she is right there at church. A fucking liar, as what she passed on to the “Bragaw Boss” was a “lie”, here she is at church I guess confessing her sins. So I went over and introduced myself…their faces, something I still cannot forget. But that is when the “rat” was out of the bag. And of course Alyeska would get caught red-handed “spying” on the workers, and had to face the U.S. Congress over it. But when the “Hoss” was sent to pasture and I was on my way out of the organization, a disaster had already hit! The Alyeska management was already “Hard Aground”. If I am incorrect that assessment, then that management in its responsibility role would have taken to heart the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” and that would have put a hold on the tanker crew furlough and a disaster avoided.
When the EXXON Valdez destroyed the ecosystem in Prince William Sound, it became a feeding frenzy for lawyers handing out subpoenas for depositions like candy and testimony taken like candy from a baby, with everybody pointing fingers every which way but loose. With the National Transportation Safety Board holding the “No Holds Barred Impeachment Trial” soon after the “wreck”, so “Big Oil” could test case the “scapegoat” theory that would “stick like spaghetti” on Lee Raymond’s shithouse stall wall, that hearing held the key to what I have been talking about herein up to this point. And now this major “tanker wreck” event so moved into the court room, while some were still trying to figure out how to clean up the mess and Joe’s breath still stinking of booze. Things were happening like quick, as the “blame game” can find innocent victims those looking the wrong way. It meant 5-days of hearings, dawn to dusk, with any witness you want - tanker crew to Yellow Cab driver included except for Captain Joe as he was facing a criminal jury - along with experts in witness from every walk of life assembled together as one to offer clues on how it happened and whom to place blame, this was the challenge of a lifetime for the legal scholars. This hearing, before the “Top Agency” finding Federal Jurisdictional Oversight, wherein it generated thousands of pages of question then answer then “let me rephrase questions”, all now part of the public domain through “freedom of information” legislation. And it was rather odd, that during this chance-of-a-lifetime hearing, when it was Alyeska’s time to cross examine the EXXON Valdez tanker crew, the only thing that was of interest time and time again was this round of questioning:
Mr. Alyeska - All right, thank you. Have you been ashore in Valdez?
Crewman #1 - Yes, I have.
Mr. Alyeska - And did you return to the terminal via taxi?
Crewman #1 - No
Mr. Alyeska - So you've never returned through the front gate of the terminal?
Crewman #1 - I have never been ashore in Valdez, no. I have never left a ship and gone ashore.
Mr. Alyeska - Okay. Thank you. That's all I have.
Crewman #1 - Yes, I have.
Mr. Alyeska - And did you return to the terminal via taxi?
Crewman #1 - No
Mr. Alyeska - So you've never returned through the front gate of the terminal?
Crewman #1 - I have never been ashore in Valdez, no. I have never left a ship and gone ashore.
Mr. Alyeska - Okay. Thank you. That's all I have.
Mr. Alyeska - Crewman#2, have you gone ashore in Valdez.
Creman#2 - No, I haven’t.
Mr. Alyeska - Okay, Thank You very much. That’s all.
Creman#2 - No, I haven’t.
Mr. Alyeska - Okay, Thank You very much. That’s all.
Better then odd this questioning all about a “Taxi” and “shore leave” like nothing else of relevance mattered, then how about suspicious peculiarity? And because everybody was more interested in getting that claim to fame with the “media”, they all missed the boat on this all-important facet of the imagination. This was a test to see if this “Taxi” may have been a factor in contribution a piece of that “contributory negligence” pie sharing. See, nobody was interested in what really happened before the wreck, and when this questioning came to be, it did not find a reaction that warranted further investigation, or at least a cross-examination by the other experts upon Mr. Alyeska’s fascination in a Yellow Cab. To find out just what the meaning of what appeared to be an off the wall waste of precious time during a court ordered hearing with under oath testimony. But it is probably the most important piece of witness testimony, that could nail the coffin shut for good the mainline factor of what happened and who was to blame. This is what Mr. Alyeska was testing, as it found roots in the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”. Sad, that a majority of the dissertations and thesis produced over this “wreck”, it all starts on the next day, when the root cause is what happened on that “Causeway” well in advance of the “wreck”. Which means it could have, better than that “should” have, been avoidable if…Herein is the simplicity, and if Simple Simon ruled, well it was Alyeska to blame for this “Wreck”. That entity was well informed about the tanker crews and how that furlough was violated with respect to “access” at the Marine Terminal. But like already mentioned time and time again but not my problem, it was a serious problem with no easy solution, except to make the “Causeway” off limits to non-essential personnel and that “golden opportunity” would have confined the tanker crews to “ship’s” quarters. And that was not asking too much, catch up on sleep, write letters - the short duration in “Port” finds no fathomable excuse to furlough a visit to the town. Just leave us alone! The question is even easier who in the Alyeska organization is to blame, the “Terminal Superintendent” at the time of the…it was a known about problem since 1982, so start naming off the “Terminal Superintendents” and “Cold Case Closed” they all share the blame up through March 24th, 1989. So why not incarceration shared as a deterrent that management should listen to the workers! Mr. Ivan was well aware of this problem and the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion”. As far as the others that held the reigns in the blazing saddle of the “Superintendent”…those that contributed to the “Exxonageddon” due lack of something?
And if you need help this “Simple Simon” timeline, well the Alyeska Security logged the Yellow Cab with Hazelwood and his crew back at the “Marine Terminal” at 2024-hours. And at 2030-hours, it was acknowledged by other witness testimony of record that Captain Joe arrived on the deck of the EXXON Valdez, ready and willing to wreck the super-hull on the way out of the “Narrows”. That time duration, a measly 6-minutes the fuse of doom. As it was enough time to STOP this midnight raider joy ride that could have been avoided through interference during that mealy 6-minutes. That is the time it takes to drive from the “Terminal Security Checkpoint”, not only to the “Causeway”, but all the way to the gang-plank. Well it means one of only two scenarios that could have presented the opportunity to arrest Joe’s next move. Either the Yellow Cab drove along that “Causeway” and that only possible with permission from Alyeska upon arriving at the berth’s landing, if and only if conditions allowed along with a “Green Light” already of record from the “Terminal Superintendent”. Else there was a relay of occupants from the Cab via an Alyeska company vehicle. Somebody drove that crew down the “Causeway”. If it wasn’t the Taximan, and it wasn’t Alyeska Security, it had to be the best kept secret and since the above questioning by Mr. Alyeska did not instigate, the “CAUSEWAY Rebellion” was safely hidden away and secure in ever indicting Alyeska of something the “Hoss” warned the “Boss” and for that…the reason grown men drive tankers onto the rocks. The ship of fools was not on the EXXON payroll!
So in ending, I remained a pain in the ass of Alyeska. Just ask Mr. Ted. As past associates ask why my career with Alyeska was cut short, why after so many performance appraisals in the category of “Exceeds Expectations”, why was it such dedication did not lead to a lucrative career towards retirement? Like with the EXXON memos early on that warned “STOP” when the left-over oversight from the start-up days still maintained a vigilance, when it was found out Alyeska was up to questionable guidance counseling, it was the dedication of a few that could have made a difference. But NOT to a Bragaw Street mentality, as “Honesty” was like an Anchorage “Red Light” on an icy road day - just a suggestion. OK, I must qualify and quantify that “Honesty” statement, as not to mean that Alyeska in general was a dishonest organization. It’s in the company we keep and when I was sidetracked for the last inning, when Alyeska was exhausting my talents in efforts my next promotion would be out to pasture, it gives “Honesty” a bad name. But I found a new dedication above that consistent with a technical success endeavor, to use all the power and might at my disposal within the “law” to stick with it, to be a pain in the ass for as long as I could. There came sacrifices, the wreck that should not have been was now a forever “stain” upon the dedication we strived for early on the start-up years of the TAPS.
I went from a Tech Level#1 when hired on to a Tech Level VI and Lead Technician and then demoted all the way back down to Tech Level #1 - that’s the truth as back in 1991 somebody in the infinite wisdom dismal swamp of Bragaw thought it best I re-attend basic training, when at the same time the son of a bitch son of the pipeline superintendent, who started employment with me, well he was getting away with…you know what I am talking about if affiliated with Alyeska. So I made it my duty, to be a pain in the ass and in 1997 I finally said fare the well, after Alyeska offered “They're gonna make a big star out of me ~ We'll make a film about a man that's sad and lonely ~ And all I gotta do is act naturally ~ Well, I hope you come and see me in the movie ~ Then I'll know that you will plainly see ~ The biggest fool that's ever hit the big time ~ And all I gotta do is act naturally.”, to make a training video with me as the “Star”. My response back to Bragaw? “Dear Crybaby Ted, Fuck You! PS: To all them golden boys that roam the 5th Floor at Bragaw with their faces stuck in another’s ass a comfort, Fuck them too as they are fucking up a once good company.” And one remaining question I have. Did you ever return to “Honesty” - Thank You that’s all I have, got to catch a Taxi!
Do you think Alyeska is different today? I doubt it as those in the know, that had the opportunity to change things within that ethical obligation, instead they chose a course of premeditated castration and remained on board for years following the “Wreck” to reinforce the “stain”. As far as the dignity aspect, well every time they pass through Oregon on Highway 5 through Springfield, remember you let down the “Hoss” with that Alaskan style “Deliverance” that satisfies your “golden parachute” retirement, your dereliction still remains a stain on civilization and those still living, those individuals know whom I am talking about as you yourselves know as guilt stings, your guilt stinks. Look, my kids that were born in Valdez, they still ask me how the hell did that wreck happen and nobody was held liable? I for one very glad my career with Alyeska was cut short, as guilty by association is something my Father and the Founding Fathers would not appreciate under “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”. What good is 40-years of achievements when with all such efforts, oil remains a lingering stench, which means it is still the “Killing Fjords” and where in hell is honor those that today work that steal monster? Like SOHIO was beaten up then broken up due “Anti-Trust” violations, Alyeska should have been also broken up due “Canti-Trust” violations - as a name change would have at least changed the subject away from a company that lost all honor as the “Best of the Best”. And if you don’t believe me, if this is not enough proof in the pudding, then the canker soar has silenced righteousness of the tongue.
Look, I was part of the worker community that could once-upon-a-time bath in the limelight of the “Best of the Best”. Taking credit wherein credit was due as during that once-upon-a-time now lost, Alyeska did indeed value that motto and its work force. And one more thing, when Alyeska did not fend for itself, when the upper-crust management failed to fend for the dedicated workers who spent endless and sleepless nights trying to understand what this project was all about so we could do things “right”, the sign of the times frustrated our merits. When the Fineberg “buck fuck” research and Un-Real McCoys behind the “Broken Promises” disrupted who in hell we were as an “ethical” entity, wherein management let down its guard and allowed this outside interference with their bible thumping “rot in hell” mandate to taint the establishment of the “Pipeline People”, it was no different then Alyeska’s “Trust Us” when that entity could “Not Stand the Truth”. Alyeska was its own worst enemy - maybe enema a better prescription. That bull-crap about the Vapor Recovery system not working, it was in a state of disrepair when the “Hoss” came to town. But in the early 80s, when the “Hoss” dedicated manpower to get things working according to the Flour Engineers design, we reacted and very successful in getting that system up to specifications. It was a tough enough job, as the “beast of burden” was a one-of-a-kind design with way too many interacting control loops. It gave PID tuning criteria another dimension to deal with. We owed that success to ourselves, not only as a dedication to doing things right, we were raising families and no way in hell interested in polluting our kids’ health. There was a time in the mid-80’s when everything at the “TAPS-Valdez Marine Terminal” was working according to design, except that one thing - the management. A time when our efforts made damn sure all “operating” permits were being administered and adhered to with the utmost respect “kid gloves”. Early on our watch, there came no reason to “fake” things and that crap about the “magical miracle barrel”, pure nonsense. But our efforts paid off for a while, which meant no operating permit violations. To make sense of it all, how about one day an OM&S operator asked me how come he couldn’t see any flames in the “Incinerator” combustion chambers, yet the temperature was at 1400F? He kept hitting the gage, thinking it was stuck as without fire, hey something was wrong but only in the way they thought the system was supposed to act. I explained to him, that is how “Thermal Oxidation” behaves when the combustion process is trying to annihilate “waste gas”. And the entire reason for this 1000-acre $2-billion dollar monster, it was for that “Vapor Recovery” aspect as 9-million barrels in storage, it creates a whole lot of vapors that need to be arrested and sent to a resting place - safe haven it worked. See, when the “Hoss” first came on the scene, due a misunderstanding of the design, the tanks were operating in cross-contamination path of destruction, so there was never any “float time” wherein the tanks were happy with life. And without that rest area, breathing loses allowed the system to get totally out of control and bomb samples indicated in excess of 3000-BTU gas, basically residual butane lifted off the storage tanks, once comingled with the crude oil. It was a bomb making factory. It was unsafe and the system not designed to handle this potency so it bothered the “air we breath”! Being the “Best of the Best” we fixed that mess and very proud of our efforts. But we never received any accolades from Corporate headquarters, like they did not want things to work right, unless we asked for their help. And we also found a ways and means to calibrate and fine tune the tanker loading so that hours could be cut off the docking times, which could have eliminated or at least reduced that crew furlough time - less “on the rocks” enjoyment times! We were experts in what we accomplished, which required vigilance and we were not afraid to make modifications that warranted a gamble at allowing a better operating system. And we did quiet down the burping from the “slack line”, before the town engineers went involved and had to spend $millions$ to do what we had already accomplished, with PID “tuning”! See, we scared the “head cheese” pipeline controller when we engaged an oscillatory fatigue signal into the “back pressure controller”, which caused the “slack” to back track. Imagine, a pipeline controller that failed in Pipeline Hydraulics 101. Hope nobody shoots a bullet hole in that line! This is what the “Hoss” instilled in each of us, do better then expected and we did not let him down. Instead, he was let down by a “mental mindset management mentality” that reeked of ignorance, wherein best take the road of denial and like I was forewarned by an Alyeska mucky-muck supervisor, “kiss everything that looks like an ass” if you want to get ahead. Fuck that! Things were good, for a time being, under the “Hoss” watch.
And the saying goes all good things come to an end, fast forward on another day after the “Hoss” was booted, an operator asked me why there were flames once again in those same combustion chambers? Like second guessing what I had taught him early on. Because some reject from the pipeline sent to pasture meant a retirement seat in Valdez, wherein Mr. Larry proposed modifying the power generation boilers to use that “excess” storage tank gas for a purpose it was not intended, as when it is a waste gas there is no appreciable BTUs that can augment a combustion process, as it will quench a good fire. So guess what, intentionally fuck up the system like it once was to look good. This is what the “Hoss” and the maintenance workers at the “Valdez Marine Terminal” had to put up with, sabotage on a local level and then sabotage on the high-seas. Yet the best one, when one day a power-house generator was showing signs of outboard bearing vibrations, and the trend indicated an increasing problem. Instead of shutting it down and going on a backup to minimize damage to a rotating shaft very expensive to replace, Mr. Larry said his finger - which was only half a finger because the fool got it cut off on the pipeline in a story he tells with laughter - well Mr. Fuck Bucks Finger Fucker thinks he knows “vibrations” better then the equipment so kept the generator running. About 3-hours later it was totally destroyed and he blamed it on the lack of maintenance. With such a reckless "mentality”, of course the “Exxonageddon” was bound to happen, and our “Bound for Glory” hacked to total destruction also. And they “cried wolf” when we thought a “Union” would better represent our concerns! Bottom line, when I was booted away from the “Terminal” and sent to pastures not green out on the pipeline, it was no different as that “mental mindset” had its origins on that pipeline, the rest is a sad history forever for Prince William Sound. So, let’s blame it on the Taxi driver! The basic ABCs we understood, the flunkies did not so did we really expect them to be concerned about a tanker crew that liked the brew? Bottom line, all our efforts to do a good job, all our days up to our knees in slush and snow, all down the drain. I guess George “Fuck Bucks” Nelson’s raise to the workers was “Drano”! Hey what a concept, maybe “Drano” can clean up that leftover oil on Green Island and then I could tell my kids’ grandkids that the “Sound” is in good health.
May the “HOSS” Rest in Peace!
~ The END - Not Necessarily! ~
Comments: e-mail S. Pam McGee at storylineonline@gci.net
Comments: e-mail S. Pam McGee at storylineonline@gci.net