living out
BY SALLY SHEKLOW
Barbie was Right
Flagging Desire, Part III
enrolled in traffi c fl agger certifi cation
training. But could I learn a new job? Did I
have the ovaries for this dangerous work?
Would I pass the test?
Doubts be damned, I drove to the training
site. I’d dressed the part—Levis, lace-up
boots, denim work shirt. I even deigned to
wear a bra, lest the traffi c I was learning to
control be inadvertently diverted. (Wifey now
calls that particular undergarment, despite its
capacious cups, my training bra.)
I walked up the concrete driveway. Three
middle-aged, rugged-faced men in safety vests
leaned on an old pickup, talking and smoking — the good-ol’-boys club
of traffi c control. Could I hold my own working with these guys? I
considered turning back, but to be a fl agger I’d have to, er, woman up.
Inside the converted-garage classroom a beer-bellied instructor
took my fee and nodded toward the seats. Traffi c control trainers have
no mandate to be chatty. Or even friendly.
Other fl agger-hopefuls arrived —all guys. I chose an aisle seat and
fi lled out my registration form (at least there was a box for Female.)
The vested men from outside greeted the instructor with ye olde manly
hand clasp and shoulder slap — experienced fl aggers, in for their three-
year recertifi cation. Serious business.
I was the only woman, but women of power had preceded me. The
instructor carefully referred to fl aggers as “he OR SHE.” Thank you
sisters!
I paid attention. Twenty feet between traffi c cones. Warning signs
in this order: “Road Work Ahead,” “Be Prepared to Stop,” “Flagger
Ahead.” I learned the three —and only three —regulation hand signals to
stop, slow, and redirect traffi c (does not include middle-fi nger salute,
even though the fl agger I met last summer said she’d resorted to it.)
A whole section of the traffi c control training addressed managing
disgruntled motorists. Apparently not all traffi c appreciates being
controlled. Especially by a dyke.
A fi lm explained the dangers of the job (many!), annual statistics of
road crew accidents (too many!), and ways to protect ourselves (not
very many). Scary, but no way I’d chicken out now.
Finally, the instructor handed
out the test. A burly trainee across
the aisle sighed, tapped his pencil
against his clipboard, sighed louder.
He was sweating it.
Who knew so many calculations
would be involved in fl agging? Like
the original talking Barbie observed,
“Math is hard!”
When it comes to protecting road
crews and motorists — and yourself
— Department of Transportation
certifi ed fl aggers must work strictly
by the book. I get that.
I double checked my answers,
made sure I had at least my name
and the date correct, and handed
in my paper. Except for the sighing
he-man pencil-tapper, I was the last
trainee to fi nish.
Two piles of completed tests sat on the trainer’s desk. He put mine
face down on the left pile. Had I failed?
The instructor handed me a card. My rejection notice?
No, it was my Temporary Flagger Certifi cation. I’m in!
Mr. Trainer cracked an approving. smile. “Now get out there and get
to work.”
That is the plan.
I
I considered
turning back,
but to be a
fl agger I’d
have to, er,
woman up.
Award-winning writer Sally Sheklow’s pursuit of happiness has been chronicled in Eugene Weekly since 1999.
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4 JANUARY 21, 2010
EUGENE WEEKLY
letters
TO THE EDITOR
BUILDING A GLASS HOUSE
I have a few stones to throw at Phil
Knight’s glass cube for student athletes.
Besides the fact that Knight is spending
big money to defeat measures that will
benefi t the public good, the UO’s own tour
guide has already admitted seeing people
walk into the building’s glass walls. This
means that the university is on notice of
a hazardous condition, and unless they
take steps to ameliorate the hazard (such
as prominently placing colorful stickers
at eye level throughout the structure) the
next person who gets hurt walking into a
glass wall will have a slam-dunk injury
lawsuit against the UO.
Also, who’s going to clean all that
glass, and who’s going to pay for all that
extra cleaning? Is the UO going to spend
more money doing that instead of paying
professors what they’re worth? And why
can’t athletes study in the library or the
student center like everybody else? Does
the UO deem athletes more worthy than
scholars?
For all this aggravation, the UO gave
up a perfectly good parking lot.
Ellen Singer
Eugene
RIVERFRONT REPAIR
I’ve dealt with the press many times
over the years, but I’ve never been so
misquoted or misrepresented. Apparently
the advocacy journalism that EW
engages in is not interested in fact or fair
representation. Alan Pittman not only
insulted ORI’s integrity by printing an
infl ammatory remark made by opponents
of the project but used the opponent’s
depiction of the ORI site that I told him
was a misrepresentation of our plans.
ORI’s site selection was not chosen
because it had space for parking, as
Pittman asserts; it was chosen because it is
the best fi t for us. ORI has a long standing,
creative
alternative
transportation
policy, and many ORI employees use
alternative transportation, but we do need
parking for some employees and research
participants.
Our project will repair a site that has
been closed to the public for more than
70 years and is surrounded by a chain-
link, barbed-wire fence, a broken asphalt
bike path, homeless camps and a transient
population. Our development will create
a safer connection between the university
and downtown for the public.
Our commitment to the environment
is unwavering and is refl ected in our site
plan. In addition, when the city is ready,
we are willing and able to accommodate
the Alder Street bike connection to the
river within our site.
Check our website http://wkly.ws/5a for
the factual information on our project.
Cynthia R. Guinn
Executive Director
Oregon Research Institute
YES ON MEASURES 66 and 67
Eugene-Springfi eld
Solidarity
Network/Jobs with Justice urges people
to vote yes on Measures 66 and 67.
With so many workers unemployed,
governments need to do more to help
the most vulnerable. Those who are out
of work could have trouble fi nding new
livelihoods, particularly if they are over
40 years old.
Many more workers could lose
their jobs, meaning that some people
who thought they would never need
social services will need to turn to the
government for help. Often, people run
out of other options. Those who are doing
better fi nancially should be making a little
more of a contribution to help those who
need support.
Voting yes on Measures 66 and 67 is a
way of supporting social justice. We need
to look after each other instead of turning
our backs on each other. Everyone deserves
food, shelter, health care and the solicitude
of the community when in need.
Governments can be the source of
jobs — if Measures 66 and 67 do not
pass, many people in the public sector
will lose their jobs. Government funding
can provide green jobs, for example in
improved public transit.
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