How early jobs and military service fuel the fight for working families in Washington.

NEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) – The first jobs that shaped U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego’s work ethic were far from the rarefied halls of Capitol Hill.

In his teens, Gallego, now 46, hauled drywall on Chicago construction sites, scrubbed floors as a janitor, cooked at restaurants and stuffed sausages at a meat plant.

The Arizona Democrat describes how early mornings, tight crews and high-heat kitchens taught him discipline, teamwork and pride in bringing home a paycheck — lessons he says still guide him in Washington today.

This interview, which is part of a monthly series highlighting the career path of notable Americans, is edited and condensed.

What was your first job?

My first job was actually helping out my cousins and uncles at construction sites as a laborer. They were carpenters, so I was moving around drywall, studs and things of that nature. I got paid about $20 per day, which sounds ridiculous, but it’s family.

At 14, I was also a janitor at the Evergreen Aqua club swimming pool. If I remember correctly, I was getting paid $4.25 an hour.

What skills did you learn in those first jobs that you still use today as a senator?

Hard work does pay off. For those two jobs, it was important that I woke up early and got to my job. I was part of a team. I was very proud of the fact that I was able to bring some money home to help my family.

Was helping out your family the motivating factor to work or were you saving up for something in particular?

My mom was a single mom and immigrant from Colombia raising four kids. She was a secretary. Money was tight. It was really important for me to contribute, mostly to the utility bills. Being able to give her a little of my paycheck helped ease some of the financial pain. I could also spend some money without asking for it.

What other jobs did you have at a young age?

I worked Barraco’s Pizza at 95th and Sacramento in Evergreen Park. I was the sauce guy and a busboy there. I also worked the delivery routes. Everyone thinks of Chicago and deep-dish pizza, but that’s a full meal. A good thin-crust Barraco’s pizza goes a long way.

I also worked at a hot dog and roast beef stand called Susie’s. It doesn’t exist anymore. I was a short-order cook. I would come from school and go right to work. I worked on weekends. I closed up shop to make sure that we were ready for the next day.

How did restaurant work prepare you for Congress?

Restaurant work can be highly stressful. You are engaging in a very quick manner. You are communicating with people to get the orders out. In the kitchen, you’re relying on teamwork, but you’re also doing it around boiling water, open-pit flames and grills that are steaming hot. You have fryers all going at the same time. And it’s a cramped, slippery area. Some people don’t speak English, and you still have to get the job done.

I remember being done at the end of the night with this sense of accomplishment. It was exhausting, but I was so young I could do it then.

And you were standing on your feet all day?

I learned at a young age to invest in two things — shoes because you’re going to be standing eight to 12 hours a day and good mattresses, so that you’re sleeping six to eight hours a night. If you make good investments in both, you’ll have good results.

You also worked at a meatpacking plant. What was that job like?

The summer before college, I had to leave my house around 4 a.m. for a 5 a.m. shift on the west side of Chicago. It was the best-paying job. I was getting $9 per hour, plus overtime. I needed the money for Harvard. I had a scholarship, but still needed to pay $4,000.

I was on the squeegee crew, which sounds disgusting because it is disgusting. I was in the labeling department. I was in the grinding department. I also stuffed meat into wiener sausages. And I worked in the spice room. I rotated through and did whatever the factory needed me to do.

It was really hard work. And I was working with a very diverse group of people: old, young, Black, white, Latino immigrants, people from Poland. Even though we had different backgrounds and spoke different languages, we really had one thing in common. We just wanted to get good pay and bring home some dignity for our families so we could each have our little version of the American dream. We would all end up in the break room together for lunch. It was a great way to meet people from all walks of life.

What jobs did you have in college?

I was in the reserves in college. I was trained as an infantryman and got activated twice. I got sent to North Carolina and Okinawa. I was trained in combat martial arts. When I got back, I still had one semester left in school, but I needed to pay bills, so I applied to be a waiter at Brother Jimmy’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They wanted me to be part of the security team because of my military training. I thought that was crazy, because I’m not exactly a big guy — I’m 5’7. And they paid me $15 per hour, plus overtime. Plus, I got to eat for free.

How did your military experience shape your work ethic?

Discipline. When I want to do something, I buckle down, focus and get it done. Whether it is running for office or getting a bill passed, it’s a skill set I still use today. I’m still friends with the guys I served with more than 25 years ago. It gives me great perspective. I still learn a lot from them.

Can you name one concrete policy area impacted by these early jobs?

To make sure that a wage is a dignified wage. There’s nothing more frustrating than putting in 40 hours of work and still not being able to live off that. Or to be able to have a little money to invest in yourself, or even to grab a movie. I think it has gotten worse.

My work as a senator consists of me being in a suit a lot, sitting down somewhere and talking to people. That’s not hard compared to what the average person does on a job site or factory line.

Who is your role model?

My mom set a good example for me and my sisters. We’ve all been workers our whole lives. She produced doctors, senators, teachers and businesswomen. And she did it by showing us the example every day of getting up and going to work, even when it was really, really tough. When kids see their parents going to work, it makes a big difference.