Byline: George Getschow; 1983-06-22; Wall Street Journal; pages p1
Report: "Dirty Work" - George Getschow - Wall Street Journal
Tags: Louisiana, oil industry, posed as, worked as day laborer
Article Links"Houston -- It's 5 a.m., and the 120 tenants of Krash Cabin, a filthy flophouse run by one of the many day-labor outfits on the fringes of downtown, are getting their instructions from the burly bunkhouse manager: 'Get your asses out of bed before I throw you out,' he shouts. "One man, exhausted after digging ditches for 10 hours in 85-degree heat the day before, begs to be allowed to recuperate in his bunk. 'I'm too sick to work today,' he tells Bob McClarity, the tattoed bunkhouse boss. 'I don't give a damn,' barks the boss, hauling him out of his bunk. 'This ain't a charity hospital.'"
Description:Getschow lives the life of a day laborer in this,, part one of a two-part series for the Wall Street Journal, a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1983.
Rights: Restricted access to online material.