NY Toll worker salaries..WOW

[Seattleallstar]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/h...111RDLHeZkGhbI

[pointman]

And we need to tax and spend more to get out of this recession!

This country is in big trouble if the politicians don't stop catering to the unions and continue to hold the private sector responsible for paying these ridiculously bloated salaries and pensions that we simply cannot afford.

[Cannon Shell]

Fernando Ippolito, a blacksmith, took in more than $146,000.


I may be missing something but why does the Port Authority need a blacksmith?

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Fernando Ippolito, a blacksmith, took in more than $146,000.


I may be missing something but why does the Port Authority need a blacksmith?

Not a farrier. A blacksmith = ironworker.

[pointman]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Fernando Ippolito, a blacksmith, took in more than $146,000.


I may be missing something but why does the Port Authority need a blacksmith?

Most likely the PA Police Department has a mounted unit and he is the farrier for a few horses.

[Danzig]

perhaps they could hire more workers and not pay ot? but that would mean more pensions, more health care expense, workers comp insurance....

it's cheaper to pay someone ot than to hire more employees. that's a fact, and explains why many companies are doing the same work with less people. the people getting ot might not like it, not everyone wants to work over 40. but in the current climate, people aren't complaining much. they're happy to be working at all.
so yeah, when someone says in a headline 'toll workers raking it in' it sounds wasteful. but is it?

as an aside, perhaps the govt could look at ways to take some hiring burdens away? they've cut the payroll tax to employees, but not employers.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by pointman

And we need to tax and spend more to get out of this recession!

This country is in big trouble if the politicians don't stop catering to the unions and continue to hold the private sector responsible for paying these ridiculously bloated salaries and pensions that we simply cannot afford.

Yes. $60,000 a year for a long-time public employee is terrible. We should be paying them minimum wage with zero pension, zero healthcare, and zero benefits.

Everyone knows it's the bloated former middle class, working 60 hours a week to afford a family and house, that has sucked this country dry.

Out of hundreds of toll workers, "twenty-four toll collectors at the bi-state agency have made more than $80,000 so far in 2011 — payments pumped up by massive overtime. Seven of those workers took in $90,000 or more."

Wow. Truly a scandal. That the toll authority isn't hiring more workers, but letting the workers that earn $40,000 a year work "massive overtime".

Because, you know, overworking current employees, versus hiring more, saves massive money in additional healthcare and pensions - wouldn't want that!

Oh. My. God. What a life of luxury. To earn less than $60,000 a year. With the opportunity to work 60 hours a week if you want a small bungalow and a family life in NY or NJ. If you're lucky and a "top earner".

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by Riot

Yes. $60,000 a year for a long-time public employee is terrible. We should be paying them minimum wage with zero pension, zero healthcare, and zero benefits.

Everyone knows it's the bloated former middle class, working 60 hours a week to afford a family and house, that has sucked this country dry.

Out of hundreds of toll workers, "twenty-four toll collectors at the bi-state agency have made more than $80,000 so far in 2011 — payments pumped up by massive overtime. Seven of those workers took in $90,000 or more."

Wow. Truly a scandal. That the toll authority isn't hiring more workers, but letting the workers that earn $40,000 a year work "massive overtime".

Because, you know, overworking current employees, versus hiring more, saves massive money in additional healthcare and pensions - wouldn't want that!

Oh. My. God. What a life of luxury. To earn less than $60,000 a year. With the opportunity to work 60 hours a week if you want a small bungalow and a family life in NY or NJ. If you're lucky and a "top earner".

Point made....next ignorant attempt to blame the middle class for the country's mess....Really folks, if you are gonna go up against Riot, you need at least some facts...

[Antitrust32]

good for them. 100k isnt an extreme amount of money anyway.

[Cannon Shell]

LOL

Pay a $14 toll to cross a bridge and you will be thrilled that people who do close to nothing are making $100k a year.

[pointman]

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Point made....next ignorant attempt to blame the middle class for the country's mess....Really folks, if you are gonna go up against Riot, you need at least some facts...

Here is a fact. Retirement pensions will cost New York City taxpayers $8.7 billion in 2012, up from $1.5 billion in 2002. Please tell me under what model that is equitable or sustainable?

Please tell me where I blamed the middle class in my statement?

[Riot]

Originally Posted by pointman

Here is a fact. Retirement pensions will cost New York City taxpayers $8.7 billion in 2012, up from $1.5 billion in 2002. Please tell me under what model that is equitable or sustainable?

The model where you promised that benefit to people, if they would work a lifetime for you and the public sector, and now you have to pay them what you've promised them over the past decades.

Gee. It's not like this is any surprise. Considering the city itself negotiated and agree to pay these benefits.

Duh.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Point made....next ignorant attempt to blame the middle class for the country's mess....Really folks, if you are gonna go up against Riot, you need at least some facts...

Bestest post evah....................

[pointman]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

Bestest post evah....................

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

Bestest post evah....................

Your use of smiley faces is indeed impressive, much more so than providing stupid facts and presenting a logical train of thought much less a real argument.

[pointman]

Originally Posted by Riot

Yes. $60,000 a year for a long-time public employee is terrible. We should be paying them minimum wage with zero pension, zero healthcare, and zero benefits.

Everyone knows it's the bloated former middle class, working 60 hours a week to afford a family and house, that has sucked this country dry.

Out of hundreds of toll workers, "twenty-four toll collectors at the bi-state agency have made more than $80,000 so far in 2011 — payments pumped up by massive overtime. Seven of those workers took in $90,000 or more."

Wow. Truly a scandal. That the toll authority isn't hiring more workers, but letting the workers that earn $40,000 a year work "massive overtime".

Because, you know, overworking current employees, versus hiring more, saves massive money in additional healthcare and pensions - wouldn't want that!

Oh. My. God. What a life of luxury. To earn less than $60,000 a year. With the opportunity to work 60 hours a week if you want a small bungalow and a family life in NY or NJ. If you're lucky and a "top earner".

Typical democrat BS response attempting to turn those who favor cutting costs as opposed to taxing and spending as against the little guy. Feel free to respond to anything I actually said in my post. You realize that your parroting of the Obama position is backfiring against him as well as Americans are waking up to the reality that we cannot continute to tax and spend to fund bloated pensions that people cannot get in the private sector. That is, except those Americans that are union members.

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by pointman

Typical democrat BS response attempting to turn those who favor cutting costs as opposed to taxing and spending as against the little guy. Feel free to respond to anything I actually said in my post. You realize that your parroting of the Obama position is backfiring against him as well as Americans are waking up to the reality that we cannot continute to tax and spend to fund bloated pensions that people cannot get in the private sector. That is, except those Americans that are union members.

What is exactly BS about her response? She posted actual facts about the salaries in question. You feel free to demonize middle class workers who make a decent wage through lots of overtime while ignoring the rich who just keep getting richer on the backs of the rest of us. You may be right about one thing, the American public may be beginning to wake up to the reality that it's not the poor and middle class that are the problem...if revolution comes, it won't be to target people struggling to get by, it will be led by them!

[Riot]

Originally Posted by pointman

Typical former-Republican-but-no-longer-a-gullible-sheep response attempting to turn those poor little guys who are taught to bleat loudly blaming unions and public sector workers (SQUIRREL !) for the dire US economic situation, as opposed to those that actually caused it and are stealing their money.

FTFY.