Given these circumstances and the fact that over time 
he would work with many of his fellow longshoremen, a
man could become known as "a really good stevedore." Such a
reputation signified more than the possession of a considerable
skill and experience and an ability to innovate. It signified and
constituted a public recognition of a man's unfailing willingness
to exercise his skills on behalf of his fellow workers. 

While the employer naturally stood to benefit from such a contribution,
"a good idea" or "move" was viewed as essentially intended to
benefit one's fellow workers. The reason for this was that the
men understood that the work at hand would, in any event,
have to be accomplished.6 Thus, a man most clearly expressed
and displayed his sense of community and union with his fellow
longshoremen by the pride which he took in performing the
work. Indeed, the contributions which a "good" longshoreman
routinely made were universally viewed as the most concrete
and persuasive of all possible expressions of brotherhood.

But, what of the community/union status of the man
who-in the judgment of yet another man-was possessed of
average ability? There are several dimensions to this question.
To begin with, the criterion of brotherhood and community
was not the exercise of some considerable skill and ingenuity,
but a willingness to contribute as one could to the performance
of the work. 

This criterion might also be applied with some
considerable compassion. For example, the alcoholic, the
"character," the man who was "messed up" or "messed over,"
and "the fo-fo," i.e., the man who never really did "catch on,"
were nearly always "carried' or "covered" by their fellow
workers. In fact, it was for most men a very important part of
brotherhood and community "to carry" such a man so as to
protect him from an employer-imposed discipline and penalty.