Bad Optics

[Publius Plunkett]

The guy retired, therefore his year end total is inflated by his sick, personal and vacation payouts. He was probably one to not refuse an hour of overtime, lived on the Rail Road because of it and it inflated his totals. So what? To earn the salary that he did, required hundreds of hours of overtime. Unless someone wants to spend their life among trains and railroad workers, they won't make that kind of salary.

If the public and our elected officials are outraged, then they should attack the MTA and the LIRR for allowing an environment requiring hundreds of hours of overtime, to exist. Unions really have nothing to do with it. The Rail Road needs experienced personnel and they have to pay for it. I don't see what the big deal is.

[DutchRailnut]

look at NJT today and realize what happens when people no longer give a S**t about OT or media scrutinisation .
mind you this is on a Saturday ? go figure , Screw media and your stupid opinions.

NJ TRANSIT - MBPJ
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@NJTRANSIT_MBPJ
27s27 seconds ago
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MBPJ train #1728 the 7:08pm from Suffern is cancelled today 4/27, due to manpower shortage. Customers to train #1730 the 8:08pm from Suffern.

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NJ TRANSIT - MBPJ
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@NJTRANSIT_MBPJ
3m3 minutes ago
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MBPJ train #1727 the 5:25pm from Hoboken is cancelled today 4/27, due to manpower shortage. Customers to train #1729 the 6:25pm from Hoboken.

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NJ TRANSIT - MBPJ
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@NJTRANSIT_MBPJ
1h1 hour ago
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MBPJ train #1874 the 5:34pm from Waldwick is cancelled today 4/27, due to manpower shortage. Customers to train #1876 the 6:34pm from Waldwick.

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NJ TRANSIT - MBPJ
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@NJTRANSIT_MBPJ
1h1 hour ago
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MBPJ train #1875 the 4:17pm from Hoboken is cancelled today 4/27, due to manpower shortage. Customers to train #1877 the 5:17pm from Hoboken.

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NJ TRANSIT - MBPJ
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@NJTRANSIT_MBPJ
6h6 hours ago
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Update: MBPJ train #74 the 9:20am from Campbell Hall is up to 95 min. late due to manpower shortage and congestion from train #71.

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NJ TRANSIT - MBPJ
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@NJTRANSIT_MBPJ
7h7 hours ago
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MBPJ train #74 the 8:44am from Port Jervis is up to 70 min. late due to manpower shortage.



@NJTRANSIT_MBPJ
19h19 hours ago
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MBPJ train #1133, the 12:08am from Hoboken, is cancelled Saturday, 4/27 due to manpower shortage. Customers to train #1101, the 1:32am from Hoboken.

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[Head-end View]

It's true that paying fewer workers more overtime does save money. However, if carried to extremes without sufficient hiring of new people, the existing employees will eventually burnout. That may be what's happening on NJ Transit.

[Commuter X]

How is it possible for someone to work an extra 10 hours per day, for 365 days?

Accord to public records, Mr. Caputo logged 3,864 hours of OT last year.

We all know why he did it, but this has IG audit written all over it.

[BuddR32]

So the NY Posts recent article is really ridiculous. Slamming Mr Caputo’s ‘pricey’ upgrades.

A PVC fence that every other house in LI has. A brick paver driveway, almost as common. And a new Audi, which replaced an early 90’s Jeep.

Other than that, it’s a rather modest house.

An argument with his neighbor is a highlight of the article too. Wow.

[DutchRailnut]

The guy retired, therefore his year end total is inflated by his sick, personal and vacation payouts. He was probably one to not refuse an hour of overtime, lived on the Rail Road because of it and it inflated his totals. So what? To earn the salary that he did, required hundreds of hours of overtime. Unless someone wants to spend their life among trains and railroad workers, they won't make that kind of salary.

If the public and our elected officials are outraged, then they should attack the MTA and the LIRR for allowing an environment requiring hundreds of hours of overtime, to exist. Unions really have nothing to do with it. The Rail Road needs experienced personnel and they have to pay for it. I don't see what the big deal is.

some people just read past facts and keep on going on about hours right Commuter X ?

[Commuter X]

The guy retired, therefore his year end total is inflated by his sick, personal and vacation payouts. He was probably one to not refuse an hour of overtime, lived on the Rail Road because of it and it inflated his totals. So what? To earn the salary that he did, required hundreds of hours of overtime. Unless someone wants to spend their life among trains and railroad workers, they won't make that kind of salary.

If the public and our elected officials are outraged, then they should attack the MTA and the LIRR for allowing an environment requiring hundreds of hours of overtime, to exist. Unions really have nothing to do with it. The Rail Road needs experienced personnel and they have to pay for it. I don't see what the big deal is.

some people just read past facts and keep on going on about hours right Commuter X ?

DutchRailnut -- I you will take the time to read the articles, no one has an issue with his final salary (which may include accrued sick and/or vacation time)

He took advantage of the system to get a annual pension of $162K/year, which is significantly more than his base salary of $117K/year

Our elected officials lack the willpower to enact real reform to correct this

I am still waiting for an answer to my question -- How is it possible for Mr. Caputo (or anyone else) to work an extra 10 hours per day, for 365 days?

[Kelly&Kelly]

This is no debate. Plenty of LIRR employees work the equivalent time to earn an extra 10 hours per day, 365 days in a year. It's not as uncommon as you may believe.

You ask how it's possible? We must ask you why you think it is not possible. The place runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Overtime accrues at time and one-half and then double-time. Holidays and penalty payments for contract violations boost earnings. Someone has to be there, and it's usually the senior man when he desires and the law and agreement permit. While fostering covetousness outside actuarial circles, overtime is hugely cost-effective in lowering head count and slashing benefit rolls and costs.

You can lobby Congress to make you feel better by narrowing hours-of-service laws, but the resultant increase in taxpayer costs and fares flies in the face of even the most diehard class-envy pundit.

But help is on the way ! Your elected representatives and the labor organizations have heard your pension concern and have addressed these obligations in recent contracts ! Latter employees' agreements cap annuity payments for overtime earnings. Only a small portion of earnings in excess of regular salary will benefit future pension awards.

Any other questions?

[troffey]

I am still waiting for an answer to my question -- How is it possible for Mr. Caputo (or anyone else) to work an extra 10 hours per day, for 365 days?

Mr. Caputo did not work an extra 10 hours per day. The average 2,000 work year works out to 250 days. If you assume that Mr. Caputo worked the 115 days in a year (which certainly seems plausible in this scenario) at 8 hours per day, that accounts for 920 hours. That leaves us 2,944 hours to account for. Divided out by 365 days, we get an extra 8 hours per day. We have established that Mr. Caputo has a specific set of skills as a Chief Measurement Operator, so working two shifts in a day at an agency that is trying to trim head count and hold down benefit cost seems possible. It is undoubtedly a large amount of overtime. But if the alternative was the MTA not being able to complete required inspections, Mr. Caputo was negotiating from a position of strength, as they say.

One other element to consider (and I don't have the answer): does the MTA or LIRR have arrangements for standby duty or storm duty where the employee(s) is on the clock strictly so they are available when needed? For example, utility companies pay lineman to sit in their trucks or facilities during storms and wait for problems to respond to...it's a fairly untaxing way to add hours of OT if such a situation exists.

[cr9617]

One other element to consider (and I don't have the answer): does the MTA or LIRR have arrangements for standby duty or storm duty where the employee(s) is on the clock strictly so they are available when needed? For example, utility companies pay lineman to sit in their trucks or facilities during storms and wait for problems to respond to...it's a fairly untaxing way to add hours of OT if such a situation exists.

Yes there is standby for snow and major storms.

There are no hours of service in the track dept. You could work 100 hours straight if your time is never cut.

[Datenail]

Now lets see if this retired worker claims a disability.

[Dump The Air]

never ceases to amaze me how new yorkers, particularly long islanders will attack a fellow worker for simply earning for themselves and their family. i don't care if someone is sitting in a truck doing nothing for 85 hours a week, they are sacrificing their time and deserve to be compensated for it, and compensated rightly. i hate the troupe of the circular firing squad but decades of newsday, a captive local media and the suburbanite long island rat race mentality in general has given people brain worms. the guy next door with the union card is -never- the enemy, all this mentality does is open up the doors for more anti-labor practices to sneak their way in. imagine if this much time was spent investigating the golden parachutes various failson executives throughout the MTA have received in the last 15-20 years.

[DogBert]

never ceases to amaze me how new yorkers, particularly long islanders will attack a fellow worker for simply earning for themselves and their family. i don't care if someone is sitting in a truck doing nothing for 85 hours a week, they are sacrificing their time and deserve to be compensated for it, and compensated rightly. i hate the troupe of the circular firing squad but decades of newsday, a captive local media and the suburbanite long island rat race mentality in general has given people brain worms. the guy next door with the union card is -never- the enemy, all this mentality does is open up the doors for more anti-labor practices to sneak their way in. imagine if this much time was spent investigating the golden parachutes various failson executives throughout the MTA have received in the last 15-20 years.

Truth.

The only reason these stories are *shocking* to anyone working in the private sector is because so many jobs don't have unions or overtime. They don't have rollover sick and vacation days. If everyone had these very basic rights, none of this would seem like some crazy alternate reality to anyone.

[Commuter X]

Let's see what Mr. Foye can do

https://nypost.com/2019/05/01/mta-chief ... -overtime/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The key sentence is "All of the findings will be reported to the MTA board and made public."

We shall wait and see what, if anything is found

[Head-end View]

LOL! What they will probably find out is that all the overtime that was earned was in accordance with contract provisions that the MTA previously agreed to. Then what?