The Social Side of the Department of Sanitation
Is a type of lifestyle created by a job?
Or is the job an extension of a lifestyle?
The social life of many members of the Department of Sanitation is intertwined with the day-to-day activities performed on the job. Social organizations such as Benevolent Societies, bands and sport teams have, historically, played a fundamental role in creating a sense of community, pride and social solidarity.
COMMUNITY
What makes one part of a community? Shared goals? Shared interests? Shared values?
Although communities are often thought of as things, “they are actually experienced as encounters in which cultures, identities and skills are acquired and used.” (1) It is through socialization that communities are actualized. The social organizations associated with the Department of Sanitation are as diverse as the members, and serve to reinforce the larger ties to the Department. At the same time, when members’ social lives are public, it affects the perception of the Sanitation Department as a whole. For example, the Department’s interest in the success of its sports teams is an effort to not only to boost moral in the workplace, but also exhibit to the city the strength of the Department’s community. The Sanitation Department’s unofficial motto, “New York’s Strongest,” was created in the 1980’s as a way to rally behind the football team while placing the Department in line with other civic organizations. (2) Today attending a Benevolent Society meeting, a Pipe and Drum rehearsal, or marching in a parade with other Sanitation Workers creates and reinforces this sense of community. These social expressions remain an integral part of the Department’s history.
PRIDE
Exhibits of pride among members of the Department of Sanitation occur, as they have for generations, in social settings such as parades, games and concerts. The reinstating of the Department Band in 1933 and the support of the baseball team in the 1940’s were two ways the Department showed to the larger city community the pride felt within. (3) Behind these visible aspects of the social life of the Department are items that bear the mark of pride simply through being kept over the years. These historical materials, including band programs, thank-you notes, and photographs, show how pride is built by members through recognition of the importance of the job and the people performing it. Personal stories of the members of the Department of Sanitation are also showcased, as in seen in articles from the in-house Sanitation magazine, Sweep. The Department of Sanitation is proud of the talents of its members, is proud of the diverse identities that form it, and it is proud of working for the City of New York.
SOLIDARITY
Benevolent societies serve the individual needs of their members as well as work to place them in the public eye. These organizations reflect the diversity of the Department and create the social conditions that motivate solidarity. Group solidarity includes elements such as mutual protection, friendship, shared meanings, and shared norms. (4) The society meetings give members a sense of involvement and attachment, and reinforce a sense of solidarity. The Department of Sanitation boasts a large and diverse number of benevolent societies including the African-American, Asian-Jade, Emerald, Columbian, Hispanic, Latino, Polaski, Steuben, Women, Holy Name, and Hebrew Spiritual Society. The support the benevolent societies offer, ranging from study groups to scholarships for children of society members, serves the personal as well as career needs of its members. (5)
The social side of the Department of Sanitation is both an extension of the job as well as a reflection of the type of community present within the Department. Personal interests in areas such as music and athletics are fostered and supported by the Department, while participation in benevolent societies give the opportunity to better one’s position career. The combination of public exposure and personal pride turns social events into an opportunity for New York City to see strength and solidarity in the Department of Sanitation.
1) Karp I, “Museums and Communities. The Politics of Public Culture,” Museums and Communities, ed. by I. Karp et al., (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992) 4.
2) Campbell, Colin. “Salute to Sanitationmen Aims to Counter Morale Problems.” New York Times 6 July, 1981, B3. ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The New York Times (1851-2004). ProQuest. New York U Lib., New York. 4 Nov. 2007
3) “Sanitation Band Will Be Restored.” New York Times 12 June, 1933, p 17. ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The New York Times (1851-2004). ProQuest. New York U Lib., New York. 21 Oct. 2007
4) Hudson, R., S. Welsh, S. Rieble, C. Sorenson, and S. Creighton, “Is Worker Solidarity Undermined by Autonomy and Participation?” American Sociological Review 58 (1993): 390-416.
5) Emerald Society Homepage. 19 Oct. 2007. DSNY Emerald Society. 4 Nov. 2007