Publicity Clerkin' At New American Library Revisited (7)

 The New American Library book promotion department director's assistant, whose desk was located not far to the left of my desk, when I was working as a New American Library publicity clerk, also wasn't very interested in talking much about either the mid-1970s world situation or the current political/economic situation within the USA, during the time I sat next to him during the workday.

Seeming to be in his late 40s or 50s, and more into dressing in a culturally straight suit and tie fashion than the younger, bearded white guy, who seemed to be in his early 30s, who was the promotion director he worked under, the white nearly middle-aged promotion director's assistant seemed mostly worried about being subtly pressured--by both the New American Library promotion director and the New American Library VP (who seemed to be in his late 30s)--into looking for a job at another company.

Apparently, these younger on-the-make executives wanted to substitute someone closer to their own age to fill the promotion department director's assistant job slot; because they felt the nearly middle-aged white guy who sat next to me was too old and over-the-hill. And was, in their eyes, apparently not particularly more successful than any other younger person they might hire from another book publishing firm likely would be in helping to increase the bookstore sales of New American Library's catalog of paperback books.

In addition, in their eyes, they apparently now felt he was too old to now "fit in" well with the other younger people who were involved in marketing the New American Library paperback books.

Most of the people who worked in the New American Library firm's skyscraper corporate office weren't members of any U.S. labor union in the mid-1970s. But when I was handed my first paycheck by the personnel manager's assistant--who had given me my typing test when I applied for the job and had had me fill out forms on the first day I reported for work, after being hired--I was surprised to be handed, along with my paycheck, a brochure indicating the New American Library publicity clerk job that I held was a unionized job. And that New York City's District 65 local union was receiving union dues which were being deducted from my paycheck.

Yet during the whole time I was working as a 9-to-5 wage slave in the District 65-unionized publicity clerk job slot at New American Library, I never encountered or spoke with any District 65 shop steward inside the skyscraper office or knew of any other District 65 union member who also filled a unionized job slot at New American Library.

Nor did any representative or organizer from the District 65 labor union office that was located further downtown in Manhattan, which was collecting dures from each paycheck I received for filling the unionized publicity clerk position at New American Library, ever make any appearance at my workplace--during the whole time my labor was being exploited at New American Library.