Highest paid City Employee in Madison is...
By bobmnu
@bobmnu (8157)
United States
February 14, 2010 1:32am CST
According to an article in the Wisconsin State Journal it was a Metro Bus Drive who made over $159,000 last year. According to the article he was paid $109,000 in overtime and other pay. So his base pay is around $50,000. Using those figures that means the man had to work over 3000 hours at time and a half. If the normal bus drive works 40 hours a week and 52 weeks a year he works 2080 hours. He had to work 57 hours of over time a week for 52 weeks. That equals almost 8 1/4 hours a day 7 days a week for 52 weeks. My big question is that safe for the bus riders?
The Union Contract calls for a limit on the number of part time drives and they can only drive morning and afternoon school runs.
If this were a privately run company they would hire more drivers and pay them more. Then the Metro Transit does not have to worry about that as they get a subsidy from the government and the Union get more in dues from its members. I guess it is cheat the public, cheat the new drivers and cheat the part time workers.
2 people like this
4 responses
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
15 Feb 10
Yes, I have heard this about Bus drivers, as well as anyone who drives Truck, or drives for Greyhound and even Amtrack that since their companies are willing to pay overtime to their drivers if they need drivers, then some people end up doing so risking their own lives and lives of others as well. Personally it should be up to each company hiring drivers to watch so that people do not end up over extending themselves for sure.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
16 Feb 10
Federal regulations set the number of hours and days a drive can drive if they drive across state lines. If they exceed that they can lose their license. Local bus drivers are not covered by the same rules and regulations. It begs the question are Unions too Powerful that they can override public safety.
@laglen (19759)
• United States
18 Feb 10
Is it a surprise that government run entities are bad business? Look at the post office.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
17 Feb 10
This tells me that buses that are under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, which fall under the United States Department of Transportation, are safer than those which are regulated by the state or local government. That would mean 10 hours less per week that a driver could work.
Annie
@thebeave (31)
• United States
14 Feb 10
I really don't think that is safe to work someone who drives as a profession 16 hours a day 7 days a week. Not only is it very unhealthy for him but he is responsible for the lives of countless indiiduals who ride that bus every day. This is irresponsible on the part of the city.
