Jack Battuello Memoir #1 - University of Illinois Springfield

Jack Batcue110 6 0
A. Oh, yes. There's something other to be said about Ray, But he
treated me fine after I organized for Dan Toband, truck driver in the
Teamster Union, Louisville, Kentucky and Tennessee and Georgia and
Fl.orida and then later I wenr LO work for District 50, he was my boss.
And I was never treated better in my life. Ray Edmunds treated me
like a gentleman. He called me Indian for some reason, I don't know
why, but he called me Indian.
1 recollect that 1 was organized with the Teamsters and damn our pay
was miserable, We were getting sixty dollars a week, When I'd take
my pay check home it would be more like fifteen dollars a week, twenty
for your wife to livc on. And so I wasn't dohg very damn good and
I was getting, now, forty years old and 1 was becoming a little fearful.
a'bout security at my age. My family, I'd neglected them all of my
life. I'd been on the road all the time, you know. I never was home.
Tt's a wonder Tilly didn't run off with four or five men. Hell, she
should have. I wouldn't have blamed her. But anyhow, I decided by
God 1 can't make any money here. I can't really gain any equity.
So I thought I'd come back to 11linoi.s. And I came back to Illinois
and Goddamn i.f Ray Edmunds said, "Don't meet me at the Stsaford, not
Straford, what is that, not St. Nick the one on the corner?
Q. Leland?
A. Went out of business.
Q. Leland?
A. Leland. Leland. I went. i.n there, I knew the manager of the
Leland, I'd stayed there when I was on the joint state board. And
we'd become acquainted, pretty good friends. I was going to Chicago,
from Louisville to Chicago I stopped here. And Goddann if Ray doesn't
come out of the meeting there at the Leland--a big dinner of some
kind--and we run into each other. And he said--oh, by this rZme
things had cooled down, you know, things were cool--we were no longer
hunting each other. And he said, "Indian, what the hell. are you
doing here?" I said, "Just going through. Going to Chicago ."
"You still working at ~ouisvi~le?" I lied, I said, "Yes .I'
Why, he
said, "I've got: a hell of a meeting in there," and he says, "it's
going to be over. Come on in and join us.'' He said, "And then after
that we'll go up to the headquarters and sit down and do chatting."
"Okay ." So I went in there and Goddamn i.f the first thing you know,
why, he takes me a.nd goes towards the office and sets me down and he
begins to pummel me with questions, "Why, don't: you go to work for
me. " And I say, "Well, hell, I got a Job. " "Ah," he said, "you can
resign but I don't think you're working down there. L think you . . .
something tells me you're not: working down there.
up here. Why don't you work for me?"
You wouldn't be
Well, to make a long story short, damn, if I don't go to work for him.
Jack Battuello Memoir -- Archives, University of Illinois at Springfield