I started my trucking career [sic] as a mover (Mayflower). I hired hundreds of day laborers but you're unlikely to fire anyone who's only working one day. Nonetheless, there was an exception.
I don't know exactly where I was, California, East Bay, it was a corporate move loading from one of those '50s bedroom suburbs, maybe San Jose or something. I hired a lumper out of the truck stop because that was always a bunch cheaper than agency help. This truckstop had a sort of ersatz union thing going on inside and labor was high, so I hired a guy that approached me out in the lot.
He started out good, worked hard but it was a long day and the longer it went the crankier and balkier he got. Finally he was getting downright ornery and threatening and I decided I had to get him off the job but it felt like it could get dangerous.
I discretely called the police and said I was going to fire a guy and he was going to attack me and I needed help. Two cops showed up asking who attacked who and I told them "I'm about to fire him and I think he will attack me." They admonished me that I couldn't do that, told me to call if he did attack me and turned to leave. Meanwhile this has really worked up my helper so I quickly told the cops "Watch this." and told the guy "You're fired, don't touch anything, get out of here." and he immediately attacked me right in front of the cops!
Now the move was a disaster and I worked well into the night finishing loading. I was too tired, maybe stupefied, to drive miles and miles to find another truckstop so I went back to the same place to sleep. When I woke up in the morning I climbed down from the cab into a beautiful, sunny California day and went behind the trailer to relieve myself. The fired helper jumped me back there and tried to kill me! (It was very disturbing.)
Fast forward through all that drama... afterwards, other lumpers told me the guy was a junky and I had kept him on the job until he was long overdue for a fix.
