1
TEMP AGENCY
Steve Sindoni
Stephen Sindoni 43 Central Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11206 (718) 417-1884
Scene #1
First Day of Job
OPEN ON:
EXT. FIRST DAY AT WORK- NEWARK, NEW JERSEY (AERIAL SHOT)
The camera pans over the large towering buildings and skyscrapers in the city of Newark, New Jersey.Thecamera zooms in and focuses on a barber shop and a Portuguese restaurant before it gets to its final destination an old industrial warehouse building on the corner of Prospect and Ferry Street.
MUSIC: THE ISLEY BROTHERS-(WORK TO DO)
EXT. ENCORE AGENCY IRONBOUND SECTION OF NEWARK NEW JERSEY
SONNY DESBEE age 35 a man with short brown hair dressed in a white shirt and red tie holding a black brief case is seen getting out of his car and walking into the old industrial warehouse building. The camera follows the man into the building up the stairs to the second floor where the employment agency is located. The man is seen knocking on the door of the Encore Employment Agency.
INT. SECOND FLOOR ENCORE AGENCY OFFICE
The door of the Encore Employment Agency is opened by a black man age 30 wearing a baseball cap and sporting a beard named SID SMITH. A man named BOB WISENHEIMER can be seen sitting at a metal gray desk in the background.
SONNY DESBEE
Good morning. My name’s Sonny Desbee. I have a meeting scheduled today with Mr. Wisenheimer.
SID SMITH
Good morning, Sonny. My name’s Sid Smith and I’ll be one of your transportation van drivers.
Sonny Desbee shakes Sid Smith’s hand and is led to the desk where BOB WISENHEIMER a man in his mid fifties is seated. Bob has on horned rimmed glasses and is wearing a wrinkled blue suit with a grey tie.
Scene#1
Continued
BOB WISENHEIMER is reading a report and appears to be very upset with his findings. Bob is scratching his head and mumbling.
BOB WISENHEIMER
I can’t believe this numbers!
SONNY DESBEE
Were you talking to me Mr. Wisenheimer?
BOB WISENHEIMER
I can’t believe these weekly numbers for this branch office. Their absolutely terrible! This report shows that we are only sending out ten workers a day. When I hired
the last Branch Manager we had over fifty workers going out daily?
SONNY DESBEE
That’s terrible! Mr. Wisenheimer.
BOB WISENHEIMER
Well, numbers don’t lie and liars don’t figure. I’m glad I fired the last good for nothing Branch Manager. He was running this office in reverse.
Bob Wisenheimer gets up from his desk and acknowledges Sonny Desbee with a firm hand shake.
BOB WISENHEIMER
I’m Bob Wisenheimer and I’m the District Manager for the
Encore Temporary Employment Agency. I am responsible for ten offices in New Jersey.
SONNY DESBEE
It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Wisenheimer. I plan to do my best to turn this office around.
Scene#1
Continued
BOB WISENHEIMER
You’ve got 90 days to turn things around Mr. Desbee.
SONNY DESBEE
Is this a probationary period?
BOB WISENHEIMER
I expect to see this office billing at least 50 temps a day. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. Sid Smith will answer any questions related to the daily operations of the office.
SONNY DESBEE
Mr. Wisenheimer, I was told there would be a receptionist?
BOB WISENHEIMER
I fired her last Friday. You’ll have to hire one. I suggest you make that a priority.
SONNY DESBEE
Yes sir, Mr. Wisenheimer I’ll start on it today.
BOB WISENHEIMER
In the meantime, when Sid Smith is not on the road driving employees to work, he will help you in the office.
Bob Wisenheimer picks up his daily planner from the desk and hands a set of keys to the office to the new Branch Manager Sonny Desbee.
The camera focuses on Sonny as he takes the keys from Bob Wisenheimer. Sonny puts out his hand but Bob ignores the final handshake by walking directly to the front door.
Sid Smith closes the door of the office tightly before he turns to speak to Sonny Desbee in confidence about Bob.
Scene#1
Continued
SID SMITH
Nice guy that Wisenheimer!
SONNY DESBEE
Nice Guy?
SID SMITH
The rumor around here is that the owner Guy Thomas was having some financial problems and Bob Wisenheimer loaned him some money and is now a silent partner in the business.
SONNY DESBEE
I was hired by the owner Guy Thomas. He seems like a really nice guy.
SID SMITH
Everyone in the company is hired by Mr. Thomas. Guy is
a great person to work for. We all get excited after meeting Mr. Thomas. Then in a couple of days you find out you have to deal with Mr. Thomas’s JYD.
SONNY DESBEE
JYD?
SID SMITH
Mr. Wisenheimer. His junk yard dog!
Sonny Desbee and Sid Smith begin to laugh hysterically. Sonny walks behind the Manager’s desk where he sees a baseball bat and an iron metal pipe. He bends down and picks them up and displays them to Sid Smith.
SONNY DESBEE
What’s the Bat and Iron pipe for?
Scene#1
Continued
SID SMITH
Let’s just say it’s your life insurance policy.
SONNY DESBEE
This must be a tough place to work.
SID SMITH
Yeah! The last Manager had to use it at least once a week.
SONNY DESBEE
Well, I hope I never have to use it. It’s a lot easier calling the police and let them handle it.
SID SMITH
Police? Please! You’re in Newark! You’ve got a better chance of seeing GOD!
SONNY DESBEE
I hear you loud and clear. I get the message. I’ll hang on to the bat and iron pipe.
SID SMITH
Sonny you seem like a nice guy. I want to be straight up with you this isn’t going to be easy dealing with these knuckleheads.
SONNY DESBEE
Well Sid, I’ve got 90 days to turn this temp agency around.
Sid Smith extends his hand in support and Sonny Desbee shakes his hand.
SID SMITH
Don’t worry. I’ve got your back Sonny.
Scene #2
INT. ENCORE BRANCH MANAGER OFFICE-5:30AM NEXT DAY
MUSIC: THE ISLEY BROTHERS-(FIGHT THE POWER)
Sid Smith is seen entering the office with a white paper bag. Sid is accompanied by ANGEL TORRES a chubby Hispanic man with a mustache age 25 who is wearing a white tee shirt and baggy jeans hanging down to his hips. Sonny is seated at his desk familiarizing himself with the names of the companies and workers for the morning dispatch.
SID SMITH
Good morning Sonny. I brought you some Espresso coffee and Portuguese rolls from the bakery downstairs.
SONNY DESBEE
That was nice of you. Espresso, that’s powerful stuff!
SID SMITH
You’re going to need to be wide awake when the temps start rolling in at 6am. And I do mean rolling in. Ain’t that right, ANGEL?
ANGEL TORRES
You got a lot of jokers rolling up in here.
SID SMITH
Sonny, this is Angel Torres and he is one of our drivers. Angel was hired about three months ago by the last manager.
Sonny gets up and shakes Angel’s hand. Sonny then makes a hand gesture and points to two chairs in front of his desk.
SONNY DESBEE
Sid, Angel please take a seat.
Scene#2
Continued
Sid removes the contents from the bag and distributes the coffee and rolls. Sonny grabs a cup of coffee and a roll and begins sipping from his cup.
SONNY DESBEE
I was looking over the daily dispatch and see you have over fifty workers signing in every morning.
SID SMITH
Yeah! Only ten of them fifty are any damn good. The rest of them ain’t worth spit!
ANGEL TORRES
The rest of the guys are the jokers I was telling you about.
SONNY DESBEE
I also noticed we are only working with five companies. What happened to all the business?
SID SMITH
We used to supply temps to about twenty companies. The last manager let things get out of control.
ANGEL TORRES
The temps were running this joint! The manager was scared to death to challenge any of them.
Sonny turns around from his desk and picks up the bat and iron pipe.
SONNY DESBEE
That explains this baseball bat and iron pipe.
SID SMITH
These guys are all criminals if you ask me.
Scene#2
Continued
SONNY DESBEE
I’m going to have a quick meeting to introduce myself before the workers head out to their daily assignments.
SID SMITH
This is going to be interesting.
SONNY DESBEE
It’s time these bad boys get a wake up call.
CUT TO:
INT. ENCORE AGENCY SECOND FLOOR DISPATCH AREA
Fifty men are seen lined up waiting to sign the daily attendance sheet at a desk in front of metal folding chairs.
Sid Smith is making sure everyone signs the sheet. Sonny is walking around the dispatch area and seen entering the bathroom with a broom.
SID SMITH
Now that everyone has signed in, I’d like to introduce Sonny Deesbee the new manager of this temp agency.
Sonny is seen sweeping the floor with a large broom. As he reaches the front of the room you can see a pile of dirt he has collected from the bathroom floor. Sonny leaves the pile of dirt in front of the desk and holds the broom by its handle as if it were a microphone.
SONNY DESBEE
Good morning. My name is Sonny Desbee and I’m the new manager for this light industrial temp agency.
The men and women can be heard laughing and carrying on.
Scene#2
Continued
SONNY DESBEE
If anyone has something to say now’s your chance.
A muscular black man wearing a du rag on his head named MUSTAFA BROWN age 27 stands up and looks around the room commanding silence from everyone in the daily dispatch area becomes silent. An immediate tension can be felt in the air by this man’s hostile presence.
MUSTAFA BROWN
You may be the new manager, but I run this joint.
Everyone in the room is heard laughing and clapping.
SONNY DESBEE
Really?
MUSTAFA BROWN
Really!
SONNY DESBEE
Does the manager have a name?
MUSTAFA BROWN
My name is Mustafa Brown.
SONNY DESBEE
Well, after the meeting if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like for you to come into my office and give me some pointers on how to run this joint?
MUSTAFA BROWN
Word! I’ll break it down.
Scene#2
Continued
Sonny stares around the room and slowly paces the floor measuring his steps while sweeping the broom in front of him.
SONNY DESBEE
I want everyone here to remember these words. If I can’t groom you, I’m going to broom you! That means out the door.
Sonny sweeps the pile of dirt again and points to it for everyone to see. Sonny looks over to Sid Smith and Angel Torres before he begins to speak.
SONNY DESBEE
What I have in front of me is an empty crack vile, an empty wine bottle, marijuana butts and drug paraphernalia.
Sonny picks up the daily sign in sheet and points to each and everyone’s name. Sonny now turns his back on the audience and prepares to speak.
SONNY DESBEE
Starting tomorrow, we will begin random drug testing. I will test twenty people a day. We will go through the alphabet by last name starting from A and ending with the letter I.
The room becomes silent and Mustafa can be seen grinding his teeth in contempt. Mustafa quickly stands up and challenges the testing.
MUSTAFA BROWN
Well I’m already on a job assignment. I can’t go to the clinic tomorrow.
SONNY DESBEE
Anyone on an assignment will be drug tested here. Everyone else will be scheduled to go the clinic. Matter of fact Mustafa, after our meeting you can go first.
Scene#2
Continued
MUSTAFA BROWN
Well, you need to test everybody.
SONNY DESBEE
I’ll have everyone in my office tested even the drivers.
Sonny now raises his right hand making a gesture for the noise to stop. Angel Torres is seen whispering something to Sid Smith.
SONNY DESBEE
As I was driving to work today I noticed two other temp agencies right down the street. Some of you will be here and some of you won’t. If you’ve got a drug problem or outstanding warrants, then this isn’t the place to be. Like I said, if I can’t groom you, then I’ll have to broom you out the door.
Sonny walks over to Sid Smith and has a private conversation giving him instructions. Sid Smith puts on his reading glasses and sits down behind the metal desk.
Sid pulls a yellow high lighter from his shirt pocket and begins high lighting names from the daily sign in sheet.
SID SMITH
If I call out your name that means you will be taking a drug test tomorrow at 6am before your assignment. Everyone else will be drug tested on Friday included the staff at the agency with no exception.
Sid Smith calls out the names and each person raises their hand and acknowledges the drug testing role call. Sonny Desbee walks over to Mustafa Brown and leans over to speak.
SONNY DESBEE
Lets have that talk Mustafa.
Scene#2
Continued
Mustafa reluctantly stands up and follows Sonny Desbee into the manager’s office. Sonny goes into a first aid medicine cabinet and puts two drug test kits on the desk. Sonny hands one to Mustafa Brown and he picks up the other.
MUSTAFA BROWN
What if I refuse to take this test?
SONNY DESBEE
Remember those two agencies I told you about?
MUSTAFA BROWN
Yeah!
SONNY DESBEE
Then you’ll have to work there! You can’t work here anymore!
MUSTAFA BROWN
Come on Sonny, cut me some slack.
SONNY DESBEE
I run this joint! Do you understand?
MUSTAFA BROWN
You talk a lot of smack! I should just bitch slap you like I did the last manager.
Sonny locks the door of the office from the inside with a key. He walks over to his desk and opens a gray metal box on his desk and points to its contents.
SONNY DESBEE
Mustafa I’ve got three hundred dollars in this box. How about I call the Newark’s police later today and tell them you were snooping around my office and stole it?
Scene#2
Continued
MUSTAFA BROWN
You don’t scare me!
SONNY DESBEE
I know all about you. You spent two years in Rahway prison. How would you like to go back to that joint?
MUSTAFA BROWN
For your information Sonny, I still run this joint.
Sonny calmly works behind his desk and picks up the baseball bat.
SONNY DESBEE
I’ve listened to enough of your nonsense. The way I see it you’ve got two choices. Your first choice is to take the drug test. Your second choice is having your head bashed in with this baseball bat. Then I’ll call the Police and tell them you stole the money and they’ll lock your ass up.
MUSTAFA BROWN
You crazy Sonny!
SONNY DESBEE
When I get done beating on you Mustafa, you won’t even be able to defend yourself in prison. You’ll be somebody’s Vermont teddy bear. Pause… So what’s your answer going to be? It will be my word against yours! Who do you think the Police are going to believe?
Mustafa picks up the drug test kit and opens the box.
MUSTAFA BROWN
I’ll get you that urine sample Sonny.
Scene #3
INT. ENCORE BRANCH MANAGER OFFICE-5:30AM WEDNESDAY
MUSIC: STEVIE WONDER-(SUPERSTITION)
Sid Smith and Sonny Desbee are sitting in the office drinking coffee and going over the morning dispatch paperwork.
SID SMITH
When the temps roll on around six, I’ll take care of the morning dispatch. That will give you time to catch up on your paperwork.
SONNY DESBEE
What time will you be finished dropping off the temps this morning?
SID SMITH
I should be back here by 9:30.
SONNY DESBEE
Good. You can tell me how everything went.
SID SMITH
I got a feeling a lot of the guys won’t be showing up today.
SONNY DESBEE
That’s exactly what I’m expecting to happen. I’ll be putting an ad in the Newark Star Ledger recruiting for new applicants.
SID SMITH
We have about fifteen guys who are reliable and hard workers. We just need to get rid of America’s Most Wanted.
Scene#3
Continued
SONNY DESBEE
Well, these guys are about to find out they aren’t wanted around here. Talk to the core workers and ask them if they have any friends looking for a job.
Sid Smith in total agreement gives Sonny Desbee a high five.
SID SMITH
That’s a good idea. Birds of a feather flock together.
Sid Smith finishes his coffee and places the cup in the waste paper basket. Sid picks up his clipboard and tips his cap as he heads out the front door.
SID SMITH
No problem, Sonny. I got this!
Sonny smiles and gives Sid Smith a military salute as he exits the office.