http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/25/pa.turnpike.ap/ If there was ever a union to break, here it is. $50k a year for taking tolls. This is seriously out of whack.
Why, exactly? Would you stand out in a tiny booth through sweltering summer days and blustery mid-January snowstorming nights alike, breathing in clouds of carbon monoxide and diesel fumes, taking the chance that someone might pull a gun on you or something, for peanuts? I wouldn't. That said, saving me a tenner on my ride home from OH to CT was a big help, too.
That's why you hire university students instead of overpaid and under-worked Teamsters. Besides, putting in bullet-proof glass is cheaper than hiring a bunch of Teamsters.
Don't take this as sympathizing with the workers, but there are a half-dozen or so "turnpike commissioners" who make very good money for doing nothing. The jobs themselves don't deserve $50K, but the patronage in PA government makes their argument work.
Several people, including a professor of mine that I respect highly, have told me that the PA turnpike system does not generate a significant amount of revenue for the state. In essence it is a bureaucratic dinosaur that exists only to maintain the jobs of those working the toll booths. If this is indeed the case I say axe the whole thing.
All of these state agencies have political appointees running them, and those people are never sufficiently qualified to do the work. If the PA Turnpike commission is really looking for a quick and easy way to save money, they could do worse than firing half their management and executive staff. Besides, $50K annual salary isn't exactly rolling in money.
No, but $50k/year doing a job that does not offer anything to the society is a waste of taxpayer money.
That $50k includes alot of overtime. It's a very dangerous job. Most of the "unrealistic" demands were for healthcare since they suck exhaust fumes all day. That said, the teamsters always do throw in some nice perks for their boys in negotiations.
Technology will eventually make these jobs irrelevant. But the turnpike does make money on toll collection -- just not enough to cover the full cost of running the turnpike. That's true about nearly all toll roads on the planet. It's not like the toll collectors themselves are a drag on the turnpike's finances.
My Father in law spent his Thanksgiving with us, coming down from PA. He was okay with the strike and also happy with the fact that he paid the lesser of the ezpass or $2 according to the strike rules (they are charging a fixed $2 per car while the workers are on strike). My wife took him to the grocery store where they went through the self checkout line. He had never been through one before and wouldn't follow the directions. He quickly called the clerk over to help. When he came home my daughter asked him about it. It turns out that he never went through one before and called the clerk over because he didn't want anyone to lose their job.