Gerald Walkup, 71 /EMPLOYER: City of Chicago /SALARY RANGE: $29,000 to $45,000
Why did you choose this field?
I was in the automotive-parts field prior to starting this job in 1981. I chose this job because it gives me a lot of independence and job security. I had an uncle who had been in this type of job for many years and so I decided to try it.
Where do you work?
I’m stationed at the 95th Street bridge on the Calumet River on the east side of the river, though I’m trained to work at any of the bridges on the Calumet River. I’m not that familiar with the downtown bridges. I work at a one-man bridge, which means there’s one man stationed in a four-story tower.
What is your educational background?
I attended Burlington High school in Burlington, Iowa.
What’s an average day like?
My job is to come to work and raise the bridge eight hours a day. The shifts run 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. We rotate shifts; right now I work days, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Usually I work a five-day week, though sometimes I work seven days (in a row) and have two days off. When I first get in to work, I sign in and then I check to see if they’re any memos from downtown. I talk to the man I’m relieving to see if the bridge is working properly.
We have gates for the street traffic and sidewalk traffic and we lower the gates by turning a few knobs. I’m in a three-story tower (by myself) while I’m doing this. I raise the bridge only when I get a request by radio or telephone to do so. This bridge is 26 feet high and usually most everything can go under it. When high barges want to come through, I’ll raise the bridge. On an average day, this time of year, I raise the bridge four or five times a day. This river is used for any of the large ships coming in. We get 600-, 700- and 800-foot long ships, and ore boats, pleasure boats and sailboats.
Sometimes we have motorists who don’t want to wait and they’ll crash the gates; I haven’t had anybody go into the river, because when they crash the gates, you shut everything off and let them go through. So I have to be very observant. When it gets really cold out, boats still pass through; I’ll hear a cracking sound because there’s ice on the river. Everybody who works the bridges receives training. If you do your job wrong, everything shuts down and the bridge will stop working, and we have to call in our electricians to help us out.
We don’t take a break for lunch; we bring our lunch and eat it in the tower. We have a refrigerator and a locker room with toilet facilities in the third story of the tower. We don’t have (formal) breaks, but because I’m up so high in the tower I can see for miles up and down the river to see if anything’s coming when I have to use the washroom. If I have to go all the way down to the main floor or basement of the tower or out to the street, we have a signal that I can put on top of the bridge to let other people know that I’m going downstairs.
What is the best thing about your job?
The best thing is the independence. You’re working by yourself and you’re there to do the job. That’s the main reason I took the job, because when I’m working, I’m in control. There’s really nobody telling me what to do because I’m trained to do the job. The job also pays well and there’s job security.
What’s the worst thing?
Just doing the job can be challenging. And sometimes it can become boring when there’s not a lot to do. But for an older person such as myself, it’s heaven.
What attributes are essential to doing your job well?
We cater to police and firemen and ambulances that come through. If I’m going to make a “lift” and see them coming, or they called and told me they’re coming through, I have to hold the bridge and let them through. So you have to have good judgment. I also have to keep the safety of civilians in mind at all times. A long time ago, we had accidents where people in cars tried to get over the bridge and didn’t make it. Now we have safety restraints–and some bridges have video cameras–and that helps us prevent accidents. You also have to be able to work independently.
Where will you go from here?
I’ll retire. Though as long as my health holds up, I’ll stay on the job.
What advice would you give to people interested in this area?
I would say take the job. The job offers security and longevity, and there is no age limitation. And we work independently, though we do have rules from the downtown office. And the financial part of the job is good because it pays well.
———-
Contact us at Jobs, Room 400, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611 or tribjobs@tribune.com.
