Vintage Telephone Operator Intercept Messages

[ea56]

Re:#16 and 17

The video in #16 shows operators sharing duties between switchboards.  In the Toll office I worked in this wasn’t done much, only to the extent that if you still had calls up when it was your break time you’d ask the operator next to you to watch them for you and take care of their completion.  We for the most part took care of our own board and calls.

 

The videos in #17 about male operators and Mothers Day elicited memories about my time with Ma Bell.  The percentage of male operators in our office was approx.20%.  And Mothers Day was the busiest day of the year!  We got lots of maudlin drunks on Mothers Day too. Calls like, “I wanna talk to my mother in Santa Rosa”,” Well whats her number?”, “I don’t know”, “Well whats her name?”,  “Mabel”, “Whats her last name?”, “I don’t know, but he lives on King St. there can’t be many Mabel’s that live on King St”, you get the picture!

 

When we had particularly bad drunks we plugged them into a trunk called “milliwatts”that gave them a high pitched screaming tone and that got rid of them for a while.

 

And you could always tell when there was a Full Moon because that really got the crazies out from under their rocks.  Being a operator in the old days could be very interesting.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 6/15/2023-10:52]

 

[rp2813]

Eddie, it's no secret that the entire AT&T enterprise was based on a military model.  Business office employees were considered the "force," and Force Management would regularly contact the "In Charge" desk to basically say, "Faster, faster!" when we were getting slammed (the Monday after Thanksgiving was notorious for being the busiest day of the year).  It was like we worked in a war room and were the armed (with headsets) force fighting the enemy, AKA the subscribers.   And just like those who served in the military during a war, we all have stories to tell, most of which only others who also worked for Ma Bell can truly relate to.  Tell these stories to anyone who hasn't experienced "being on the inside" and either their jaw will drop or they'll just be completely baffled even if you explain the terms and acronyms to them.

 

One inside story about Operator Services I heard shortly after being hired was told by our Universal Service Rep training leader.  A few in our class were current employees so there was no shortage of experiences to share.  The male operator involved in the story asked for a "health break" and was told he was not allowed to leave his position.  When the situation became dire and he still wasn't allowed to step away, he stood up and relieved himself all over the switchboard, no doubt elevating himself to hero status among his peers.  This is just one example of the inhumane treatment of those on the front lines, and it dates back to the very early days of the Bell System.  As far as I know, it wasn't any better at the "lesser" telcos like GTE, Continental, et al.  They all took their cues from Ma Bell.  If ever there was a workplace environment where unionization was essential, it was The Phone Company.

 

Also, thanks for mentioning "tone of service."  In the business offices, managers would enter a small room surrounded by glass whenever they were monitoring calls.  This was known as the "tone room" and I never knew why until I read your post.

 

And speaking of smoking, Ma Bell was quite accommodating in that regard, at least for "outside plant" workers, judging from the wording on this ashtray that my sister found and gave me.  It must surely date back to the heyday of the model 500 telephone set.

 

 

 

[ea56]

Ralph,

Calls of Nature in Ma Bell parlance at the Santa Rosa Traffic office were known as “Specials”.  At the front of the room was a sign that was either  “green” for go, meaning no other operator was taking a special, or “red” meaning someone was on a special and no one else could take a special.  If you were working CAMA you had to also put up a green flag in front of you and wait for a DA operator to relieve you so you could turn the sign to red and then sign out with your operator number and the time you left, then upon returning you signed back in noting the time.

 

Once when I was working CAMA and all four lights were lit, meaning that there were over 1000 calls waiting to be keyed in, I put up  my green flag.  A supervisor came by, took down my flag and told me that I didn’t need to go.  A union steward, Ruth E. was sitting next to me,  She asked me if I really needed to go,  I said yes, so she put my flag back up, stood up and told Agnes the supv that she was gonna relieve me, and then EVERYONE else at the 20 position CAMA board, because they all needed a special too!  And then one by one every other operator at that board put up their special flags too.  Made me feel like Norma Ray, LOL.  But by God Ruth meant business and we ALL got a special, all four lights standing be damned.

 

Yes Ma Bell ran a military like office.  BTW, if your ATOM deemed that you were taking too many specials, he or she would call you into their office for consoling, reminding the errant operator that “the company” gave you two 15 min breaks and a lunch break to take care of your biological needs, and perhaps your work schedule needed to be changed to coincide with these functions better, I kid you not!

 

Once a fellow operator, about 60 years old that had worked for Ma since she graduated from HS literally had a heart attack at the board, and ambulance was called and Lillian was in the hospital for two weeks.  When she returned from sick leave she was summoned into the ATOM’s office and told that she had to sign a statement that she was aware that her attendance was unacceptable and if she had another occurrence of absence in the next 6 months she could be terminated.  Ruth the union steward had accompanied Lilian into the meeting.  Lillian asked Ruth if she had to sign this statement?  Ruth told her yes, if she wanted to keep working for the unmotherly Ma.  Lillian said, “then you’re telling me that we are working for heartless assholes”, to which Ruth replied, “ yes I’m afraid so Lillian”.  So needing a job at age 60 Lillian signed and plugged back into  the switchboard.

 

There are a million stories like this in the Ma Bell Story.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 6/15/2023-23:59]

 

[rinso]

"The number you have dialed has been changed, the new number has been disconnected."

 

[kenwashesmonday]

The one I remember is rather long.  This would have been New Jersey Bell in the 1970s.  I will try my best to quote it from memory:

 

"The number you have dialed is either disconnected or is not assigned.  If you think you may have dialed incorrectly, please try again.  If you need help, please hang up and dial the operator.  Thank you, my voice has been recorded"

 

[jamiel]

These are fun. Thanks.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Wish this one was on there:

I listened to all of them too!

 

One time when using a pay phone, which I had difficulty of it taking my dimes, a man's voice was actually used, which said:

THE CALL YOU'RE MAKING REQUIRES A DEPOSIT OF TEN-CENTS!

 

 

 

-- Dave