MTA paying 6 figure salaries to 8000 people.

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
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One of those workers, a Long Island Rail Road conductor who retired in April, made $239,148, about $4,000 more than the authority’s chief financial officer, according to payroll data released on Wednesday.

Around 60 percent of the authority’s current budget — about $7 billion — is used to pay labor costs including payroll, pensions, and overtime.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/nyregion/03mta.html?ref=nyregion



I say lets pay these lazy union employees what they're worth: 25-30k a year! If conductors started making 25k instead of 250k, we might get out of this fiscal mess.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
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Yea lets get people to work for 30k that drive trains with people on them, nothing could go wrong with that picture. Let alone the type of people that would even apply, let alone do it.

If its such a great job why do you not apply?
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
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Yea lets get people to work for 30k that drive trains with people on them, nothing could go wrong with that picture. Let alone the type of people that would even apply, let alone do it.

If its such a great job why do you not apply?
He's not old enough to get his drivers license let alone drive a train.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
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Oh and since the OP left this part out...

"overtime and retirement payouts appeared to account for most of the high salaries. "

So in other words it is not salary but overtime and people that are unable to use their leave and get it in a lump sum when they retire. Thats not a union issue; thats a Admin, i.e. non-union, problem of them not running it well.



"Mr. Raymond, the retired conductor, was the eighth-highest paid employee in the entire authority, ranking 16 spots higher than his railroad’s executive vice president. He earned $67,772 in base salary and $67,000 in overtime, and collected nearly $100,000 in unused sick days and vacation time upon retirement, railroad officials said."
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
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Oh and since the OP left this part out...

"overtime and retirement payouts appeared to account for most of the high salaries. "

So in other words it is not salary but overtime and people that are unable to use their leave and get it in a lump sum when they retire. Thats not a union issue; thats a Admin, i.e. non-union, problem of them not running it well.



"Mr. Raymond, the retired conductor, was the eighth-highest paid employee in the entire authority, ranking 16 spots higher than his railroad’s executive vice president. He earned $67,772 in base salary and $67,000 in overtime, and collected nearly $100,000 in unused sick days and vacation time upon retirement, railroad officials said."

I don't know where you come from, but from what I understand, if you're salaried, you don't get overtime. I guess its different if you're a lazy unionized government employee.
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
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Yea lets get people to work for 30k that drive trains with people on them, nothing could go wrong with that picture. Let alone the type of people that would even apply, let alone do it.
Most of the job is automated. Just turn on autopilot and sit on your stool. Now tell me that is hard with a straight face.
If its such a great job why do you not apply?

I'll have a hard time getting in. The deal with union jobs is that unless you know someone, you're not getting in.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
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I don't know where you come from, but from what I understand, if you're salaried, you don't get overtime. I guess its different if you're a lazy unionized government employee.

Yes, let's pay minimum wage to people who run trains loaded with hundreds of tons of gasoline, munitions, caged animals, radioactive material, and corrosive chemicals. This is an excellent idea.

Then when some pothead high school dropout crashes the train and the resulting ammonia spill kills thousands of people you'll blame the government hiring unqualified people. :rolleyes:
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
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Yes, let's pay minimum wage to people who run trains loaded with hundreds of tons of gasoline, munitions, caged animals, radioactive material, and corrosive chemicals. This is an excellent idea.

Then when some pothead high school dropout crashes the train and the resulting ammonia spill kills thousands of people you'll blame the government hiring unqualified people. :rolleyes:

I suggest we screen out the potheads. Should be simple to detect pot use through hair sampling.
 

3chordcharlie

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2004
9,859
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I don't know where you come from, but from what I understand, if you're salaried, you don't get overtime. I guess its different if you're a lazy unionized government employee.

Front-line workers are almost never salaried, despite the article using that term.

It would appear this guy was getting about $35/hr to drive a train. His OT pay also goes a long way to explaining why he had banked vacation at retirement.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
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I don't know where you come from, but from what I understand, if you're salaried, you don't get overtime. I guess its different if you're a lazy unionized government employee.


Then this proves you should not make any comments about pay since you do not have any basic understanding of exempt and non-exempt employees.


I will give ya a hint. Just because you are salary does not mean you do not get overtime.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
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I don't know where you come from, but from what I understand, if you're salaried, you don't get overtime. I guess its different if you're a lazy unionized government employee.
Hmmm if he's putting that much overtime in obviously he's not lazy
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
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I suggest we screen out the potheads. Should be simple to detect pot use through hair sampling.
Um I used to work in an analytical chemistry lab. Are you sure you want to spend over $4,000 testing every person who applies for this job? That's what it costs. I'm not joking.

We could also detect alcohol abuse by testing for "fatty acid ethyl esters". I think it had something to do with alcohol replacing the glycerine part of triglycerides.
That job was so cool :D

Really, the only way to get people doing important jobs is to hire people with experience and a track record. Maybe they worked at the train loading and unloading area before working with the train. Once they have 5 years of experience in the loading dock, you can't just pay them shit wage and expect people to apply for this job. A lot of warehouse/loading/forklift jobs around here start at 40k. Add some experience and the skills to run a train and yeah it gets up there in the 50-60k range or more.

$67,772 in base salary
Or that.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
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It sure does for most people! Who gets OT on a salary?

doublefacepalm.jpg



Then this proves you should not make any comments about pay since you do not have any basic understanding of exempt and non-exempt employees.

Try again since you missed it.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=exempt+and+non-exempt+
 
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Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
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Um I used to work in an analytical chemistry lab. Are you sure you want to spend over $4,000 testing every person who applies for this job? That's what it costs. I'm not joking.

We could also detect alcohol abuse by testing for "fatty acid ethyl esters". I think it had something to do with alcohol replacing the glycerine part of triglycerides.
That job was so cool :D

Really, the only way to get people doing important jobs is to hire people with experience and a track record. Maybe they worked at the train loading and unloading area before working with the train. Once they have 5 years of experience in the loading dock, you can't just pay them shit wage and expect people to apply for this job. A lot of warehouse/loading/forklift jobs around here start at 40k. Add some experience and the skills to run a train and yeah it gets up there in the 50-60k range or more.


Or that.

Are those 40k jobs unionized? If so that explains it.
Besides, you have college grads forced to work at starbucks. Hire those guys for 5k more and fire the guy making 250k.
 
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Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
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Have you watched the census worker video where they clocked in 2 extra hours a day? Government efficiency at its finest.
No but I see people who work in offices posting here all day during work complaining about how lazy Union Workers are.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
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Yea lets get people to work for 30k that drive trains with people on them, nothing could go wrong with that picture. Let alone the type of people that would even apply, let alone do it.

If its such a great job why do you not apply?

Ever look at what airline pilots make starting?
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
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No but I see people who work in offices posting here all day during work complaining about how lazy Union Workers are.

Guess what? If the boss comes and decides that he doesn't want the worker to post on AT, he'll fire the guy! With unions, they can't be fired. They'll get put on a desk job making full pay.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
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Guess what? If the boss comes and decides that he doesn't want the worker to post on AT, he'll fire the guy! With unions, they can't be fired. They'll get put on a desk job making full pay.
They cant? I don't know about NYC but here in Boston they fire operators all the time for not following proper procedure when operating those trains and buses. And when an Office worker fucks up it might mean extra work and expenses, when an operator of those trains fuck up it could mean lives.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
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Ever look at what airline pilots make starting?


You mean the ones that are always blamed when air planes go down and the final report says pilot error due to overwork/lack of exp/etc...?

You see what the train operators make starting as well? The one that served decades only made 67k in salary.