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Show Oilfield pipeliners, residents' new neighbors By Cindy Robertson About a month ago, camper and trailers sprang up almost overnight in mobile home parks and campgrounds from Vernal to Rangely, housing some of the hundreds of pipeline workers who have come here. The rest moved into many of the area's apartments and motels. They are working locally on a 160-mile section of pipeline stretching from Mack, Colo., to Rock Springs, Wyo. Pipeliners, as they call themselves, them-selves, share the same transient lifestyle of most other construction and oil-connected workers, and area residents will be seeing more and more of these mobile people as the energy potential of the Basin continues to be developed. Unfortunately, when a large number of strangers come into a town, residents often worry about possible trouble, and if a few do cause problems, a bad impression can be formed of the whole group. Taking a closer look at the work and lifestyle of the pipeliners will help dispel these worries. U,1C "ie irangs arjout pipeliners that is often misunderstood" explained a foreman's wife, "is our connection with oil people. We are not oil workers. Pipeline companies are construction firms hired by oil or other companies to lay their pipes, much as a landowner hires someone to build his house." She went on to describe the process by which the individual pipeliner often obtained work. "Most don't stay with just , one company. As one company finishes a pipe, the workers that aren't ready to go home will look around for another project that is starting, and will hire on with that company. Some will work for four to twelve contractors in one year." "Pipeline Digest," a magazine that many workers refer to as the "Bible" of the trade, helps them locate these new jobs. The wife continued, "We not only have to move each time we start work on a new project, but we also have to follow the pipeline as we lay it. We may only be in an area a week or two if the work happens to go fast there." -,s In spite of moving so often,- many pipeliners bring their wives, and often,, even their children with them. Wouldn't' that be damaging to the children? "On the contrary," said one mother enthusiastically. Her daughter, about three years old, is a "pipeline baby," born into the trade. "So far our daughter is very happy, and she is learning about every state she goes in. Pipeline children have a broader range of experiences; it helps them grow up to be understanding of other people." Another mother of two boys, ages nine and twelve, agreed. "We have been doing this as a family for the last four years now. When we started, we explained to the boys what it would be like to move so often, live in a small trailer, and change schools. When we asked them what they wanted to do, they said they'd rather be with their dad than stay home." Even though her sons have already changed schools three times this year, they have adjusted very well, maintaining main-taining a B average or higher. "We like the schools we have gone to," said the oldest. "We think the small town schools we have been to are better than the city schools we came from, because we learn more and much faster." "I also appreciate the influence the men have had on them. I have found pipeliners to be very polite and then-good then-good manners and speech have rubbed off on the boys," their mother added. When the children pnfer hiah hnnl most families stay at home while dad is on the job so that the children can participate in all of the activities without interruption. "But even though this meant we would be without our father for up to six months in a year," said one son, "we didn't mind too much, because when he was done, we would have him all the time for the next six months." The majority of pipeline children are ordinary, good kids that turn out well. Families can cite many examples of children that are now grown and involved in-volved in rewarding, responsible occupations. oc-cupations. "Look at our boys," said a mother of four, of which two are now working on the pipeline with their father. "Two of our boys have gone into the ministry, and one was in the Air Force as a technical avionics radar specialist. They are typical of how many of our grown children are doing." "Pipeliners are ordinary, responsible people," she added earnestly. "Many of us have families and go to church on : Sunday. Almost all' of us own our own'-, "homes. For example, we have a larger , house back in Tennessee on an acre and a half of land. We all return to our homes when we are finished with our jobs.'" "Anyone working on a pipeline doesn't have much time to get in trouble." said her son. A standard pipeline week is ten hours a day for six days, but more often the workers actually put in twelve to" fourteen hours a day, sometimes for seven days a week. "Not too long ago," said her 20-year old son, "I worked fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, for two months! And I had to drive forty-five minutes each way." Workers usually get up about four or five in the morning and go to bed at eight or nine at night. "Pipeliners do, of course, make a good wage, or no company would be able to find anyone who would move so often or work those long hours," a worker related. "As with any heavy construction work, laying pipe is dangerous, and even with the best of conditions the men have to work very hard in all kinds of weather." "However," he added, "the regular worker has to pay all of his expenses, such as moving and furnishing his own truck on the job. He also does not get sick pay, or paid holidays. And if the weather or other reasons prevent work, he does not get paid for that day either. So the wage is not all profit." Why do so many men stay in this line of work for twenty, even thirty years? "I have an engineering degree," said one, "yet I will probably never get much use from it because I just have to work outdoors. I can't stand being in an office." "You know," he added thoughtfully, "I can go anywhere in the country and see something I have helped build. That is a feeling I wouldn't trade." Why do so many wives go with them, when they have permanent homes they could stay in? "Besides wanting to be with our husbands," answered one wife who has accompanied her husband for over thirty years, "they need us. You won't believe the little things that can be so frustrating. If his boots wear out, or he needs his check cashed, or his hair cut, or new tires, how does he get them when everything in town is always closed by the time he gets home? Most pipeliners, for some reason, love western wear, but when do they get a chance to shop for it? So the wives can be a big help by doing as much as possible for them while they are working." The men whose wives have stayed 60 home,v some -because of. Wgh tschool) aged children, and others because of also working, have a big problem in trying to get these little things done. Even the necessary task of wiring money to their families at home is almost impossible unless they can find someone they trust to do it for them. "Some of the towns we have been in have gone out of their way to stay open late while pipeliners lived there," one said, "and that meant a lot to us. We are away from our friends at home for most of the year, so we appreciate friendly smiles and extra consideration more than most." Even though the pipeliners are known for taking good care of their own, they want to be able to get to know the people of the town they are living in. "Pipeliners are very curious folks," " ' said one of the bosses, "and they try to see and do everything an area has to offer." "Yes" his wife said, "just in the short time we have been here we have been swimming in the pool, gone to the museum, tried as many restaurants as possible and hiked around the countryside." coun-tryside." "One problem we have with that though," her husband added, "is that in the short time we have off, we miss so much because we don't know the area, ft would be nice if towns had some kind of -booklet or welcome arrangement to describe all the things to do and see, A 1 t t XT' . 1 .. t : cinu indues iu cai. iveu txu eJipiciMduuii of some of the important industries would be very interesting to us." "That's right," his wife exclaimed with a laugh. "I was in the laundramat and saw machines marked 'Gilsonite.' I couldn't figure out what that was since I had never heard of it before." "The pipeliners have really enjoyed our area and its attractions," noted the manager of the Fairview mobile home park where many of them are living. "They are quite taken with the area, and many said they hate to leave." She also commented on the mistaken idea that transient workers mean trouble. 'They are terrific people. Bad people can be found anywhere, but most of the ones living here are very friendly and pleasant." The owners of Monument Park in Jensen agree, saying, "We have had a lot of oil field and related workers in our park, and they are our best renters." ren-ters." We won't have much longer to enjoy meeting the pipeliners, since their project here is scheduled for completion com-pletion by Dec. 1. But the Basin area ' 1 will pr'obably' cdntimiiS to play host to many other tranisiety workers long after our present pipeline neighbors have lett, and we will have more opportunity op-portunity to meet and learn about people from all over the United States. The work they are doing is helping us to meet our energy needs; it is especially good to know they are also such fine neighbors. |