I helped Mum on the farm for two weeks and at the same time made inquiries about taking on the next employment. I had reached a point where I had lost trust in people and started to cast doubt on religious leaders as well. The memories of my father started to come back and the picture of the burning Synagogue; I did not know whom to believe. But I found some comfort working on the farm for my Mother at my own speed. Finally I came to the conclusion that I should get away from the old core system, which had bothered me for years and work for an American firm, Alfred Muenke who was not too far away.
There I would earn a junior tradesman’s wage and then I could afford to pay for the bus fare to go to work.
The money I had received from Brast did not cover the bus fare and I had to live at Mums expense away from the farm. I went by bike to the village of Lindlar, 12 kilometres away from our farm and made inquiries where the offices of the factory “Alfred Muenke” may be. Then I was told that I had passed the factory on the way in, and that the office is at the factory. I went straight back to the factory and found the gatekeeper sitting in his office checking the clock cards. I asked whether they had any positions vacant? The gatekeeper replied, “What do you want”. I pulled my (Lehrbrief) certificate out of my pocket and showed him. Without any hesitation he told me, “You can start here next Monday morning at 7 AM. Make sure that you turn up on time. That is all I can tell you”.
I took my time in riding my bike home and wondered about the starting time and the extra distance to get up earlier and feed the animals on the farm. When I told Mum she told me that she would make sure that I would get up at 5 AM whether summer or winter but to keep the job is now your problem.
I had to ride the pushbike because I did not have any money to pay for the bus fare. It was June, summer time, therefore no problem to get there for 7 AM. The foreman greeted me at the gate, made out a time card for me and showed me how to use the time card when entering and leaving the factory. Then he took me down through the first section of the factory, the woodworking machine room. We arrived by a huge press and he told me I had to work with a group of people. He introduced me to five men, all some 20 to 30 years older than me.
The siren went and all machines were started up. Then the foreman took me by my arm and guided me into the mass-production chain work procedure of what I had to do, pointing out in a soft manner. “Do this. Pack that. Be quick. Be careful that is hot”. This lasted for two hours until morning tea break. Then he said; “You be OK. You got the hang of it, carry on”. During the break I asked the other workers; “Does the foreman do that all the time, pushing people around”.
They said; “Yes, but only this foreman, the other foremen don’t do that. There are six foremen and over 150 people work here. You will not see him coming back and pushing you around. He knows that you can do the job. He does come along but not every morning and says, good morning to us, that is all”.
Then they told me, “This press cannot have a break down, but we have to be very quick, it has to be reloaded and emptied every 6 minutes to keep the factory production going”.
I was glad when it came to clock off time, and going home. The next day we started up by ourselves. They asked me, “How do you like that?” I said, “OK”.
Well, they said, “that is normal. Our foreman only comes along when someone new starts here. That is his way of finding out who is working in his division. He does not care how much any one smokes as long you do not smoke in this factory.” I started to enjoy working with these men and within a week I also found out that five of them were not tradesmen, they were farm hands and had small farms. One person, the shortest of them, was a household utensil maker
by trade. That trade had its economic downturns. He was extra good on sharpening and re-shaping knives and scissors.
I was glad of my first pay packet. They all asked me, if that was my first pay packet. They knew that I was an outsider and did not come from their own apprentice division, which was housed in the building next door to the factory.
Payday was always on the following days, 10 th, 20 th, 30 th of the month. It appeared very unusual receiving the wages on that type of timetable, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for an American firm. However the firm stuck to the German 48-hour five-day working week. It suited most small farmers and many others from the surrounding districts. Among the 150 employees there were no more then 20 cabinetmakers and joiners, but there were six foremen with master certificates and two of them had a very high degree. The foremen came from a very long distance away to get to the factory on their heavy motorbikes.
Some of them boarded for a week or two in the village of Lindlar.
There was also a master builder, a local bricklayer by trade. In charge of a plasterer, metalworker, engineers and electrician, they had built the complex and remained there to keep the factory alive. I started to like the place and did get on with the people. I was in line with the other 20 cabinet-makers and joiners. We were often changed around on to another spot and after 12 months I was put in the stand-by group, which was made up of six people. But one did not have to accept that position there were plenty of takers. It meant that one had to do any body’s job. The group was formed for replacing people on sick leave or on holiday. It turned out that I was the storeman for a week, a spray polisher another week. On one occasion I was veneer valuator for four weeks. I found that very interesting. Alfred Muenke was a factory for producing furniture and partitions mainly for the United Nations military forces in Germany and their families.
After twelve months working there I was able to buy myself a little 98 cc motorbike and I managed to get to and from work in 15 minutes. The boss, Mr.
Alfred Muenke spotted me. But I was not the only person to have a motorbike.
He instructed the top foremen to call me in to his office, and I expected they would put me off. It turned out that the foreman told me; quote; “I see you have a motor bike, therefore you can get here any time. What about going out with the transport people and putting the partitions and furniture together. You have done relieving for some time, why not go out tomorrow morning with the truck at 6 AM”. His words came flying at me at the same speed as the factory was running in its mass operation, no pause between sentences. I was shocked and did not know what to say other than; “All right, 6 AM, in the morning”. I walked out of his office.
The factory was placed next to a railway line siding and there were always wagons standing to be loaded by a special crew. The firm had two big enclosed trucks and on each truck were two people, but I never had met any men of them before. Therefore I went straight over to the trucks and asked the men what was going on and who is going out at 6 AM in the morning. They responded by
saying; “welcome on board. We knew that would happen, that we would finally get a trade person on board. Make sure that you are here at 6 AM. We are going to Hamburg, to deliver to private people this time”. I had to work very fast fixing up little marks, putting some furniture together, removing doors so the furniture can be passed through and putting the doors back, while the other two men had to bring all the goods in. I really liked the job and the overtime money was very good. When I was relieving in the factory, I always kept my ears open for the next trip. It turned out that another person with the same name and the same age was also selected for these trips. He too had a motorbike; rivalry started about who got the next trip. The boys with bikes drew the attention to the bosses and we were used for their convenience.
By now I had started to dislike the German tax system, because we in West Germany had to pay extra taxes for the (Luft-bruecke) aeroplanes flying through the corridor from the Westside in Europe over the Berlin Wall into the British section of Berlin which was within the Eastern Soviet Block. The churches also wanted 2% from any one pay packet unless you could prove that you were a non-Christian.
I counted on working for an American firm that I would get a chance to go to America and if that would happen, I would never come back to Germany. Every Saturday morning when I did not have to help Mum on the farm I went on my motorbike and visited the Migration Employment Offices in the districts. I clocked up 100 kilometres on some Saturdays just to find an advertised position, which was for migrating overseas. And for every possible position advertised for Canada, America, Brazil or Argentina. I filled in the papers and was knocked back every time, because I could not prove that I was a refugee person.
The management at the factory became aware of what I was doing. Again I was called into the office to be offered a two-year training course carried out at a college. The firm would pay for the course, but I had to sign a contract that I would stay with the firm for life. As soon as the word life was mentioned I got up of the chair and said; “No thanks” and I walked out of the office. I had made up my mind that I would not stay in Germany for the rest of my life.