Tuesday, June 16, 2009

LIRR mechanics are rollin' in the dough

From the NY Post:

An arcane union rule allowed 34 Long Island Rail Road grease monkeys at a Queens maintenance shop to earn a total of $2.5 million in overtime last year, and some of that staggering sum was paid just for heading home and going to bed, The Post has learned.

Under the rule, the railroad is required to fill vacant slots on all work shifts -- regardless of whether the manpower is needed -- allowing senior repairmen to pick up enormous amounts of extra hours.

If a repairman is out sick or goes on vacation, for example, the rule requires the shift's empty slot to be filled by another mechanic, even if he's not needed or on OT.

There were hundreds of instances last year when mechanics worked 24 to 32 hours straight, racking up time-and-a-half and double-time pay. The system then dictates that these OT kings be sent home to collect an additional eight hours of pay for no work.

Many accrue 40 consecutive hours of pay in a single stretch, ringing up a full week's wages in less than a day and half.

And the gravy train doesn't stop there. Another mechanic can then pick up the vacant slot left by the sent-home worker and receive time-and-a-half pay.

Rule 24 has ratcheted up some mechanics' income by more than three times their base salary.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unions are killing this State.

Anonymous said...

Blame the union and the negotiators for the LIRR for this.

Can't fault the workers for playing by these rules.

Anonymous said...

this problem is not caused by the union members this is a problem that has been created by the people running it they give away the house when it time to re do contracts . the people running the show dont give a shit about the money they never worked for a dollar there whole lives we did and gave it to them

Anonymous said...

talking about being out of touch with the real business and what it takes to make a dollar if the average person work 30 hours straight they get paid for that when they punch out the boss does not pay them to take a nap

Anonymous said...

This same article gets reprinted every year.

Unless something can do something about it, whats the point?

Anonymous said...

And they made the "president" the acting ceo of the mta!!!!!!!!!!!