I’m highly amused with the uneducated bitches lately. The ones that really get me are the ones that stress how drivers are over paid. First of all, my boyfriend has been with transit about 8 months now and as a new employee he makes about 20 bucks an hour. Not to bad right? Wrong. after about 500 dollar union, medical and other deductions his take home pay is less than my serving job at a hotel brings home.It actually makes it nearly impossible for him to pay off any debt and leaves just enough for bills and a bit of leisure. Also, with this 55 or some odd dollars he pays per pay just on medical for himself with no dental, we can’t afford to have a family plan with dental which costs around 175 per pay, therefor the 6 or so cavities I still have must be paid for out out pocket by yours truly. Now that we’ve got that portion of the bitch out of the way, lets talk about the job itself. I can’t even count the amount of times he has come home to bitch about your self entitled, dehumanizing asshole ways. He is one of the most light hearted and positive people I know, but becoming a bus driver has meant that while he’s at work he has to put up with a lot of your garbage. Rightfully so he has learned not to put up with any of it. You don’t make it to a bus stop when he’s passing and want the doors open 10 feet from the stop? 400 dollar fine he’s risking for your ungrateful ass to get on the bus with not even as much as a thank you. So don’t be surprised if he shakes his head and keeps driving. This is just the tip of the iceburg. Being told off for doing his job the way he was trained, being ignored when he greets people onto the bus and overall loud and disrespectful behavior being shown to him while on the bus is a daily occurrence. His first week on the job he was blown away with how drivers are treated the moment you get into that uniform. He took the job because he loves driving, is good at it and has exceptional people skills. He came from much higher paying jobs to a job her would enjoy and that would have him home every night. There are some crotchity old git bus drivers out there, and as a previous transit user, I’ve encountered them. Now I can’t really blame them after hearing the bs they have to put up with. I’d be bitter after 20 years of that crap too. Just some food for thought guys. —Tired of your self centered attitiudes
This article appears in Mar 20-26, 2014.
6 cavities? No wonder you’re cranky. And um, maybe drink less pop or something?
My only problem with the Transit OB … isn’t the drivers , its the Insane law , that allows them to pull out into traffic whether its clear or not.
Sure they say the transit driver checks to see he/she is clear before pulling out, but if you believe all of them are doing that, I’ve got nice mountain slope lots available for sale in Southern Florida !
I have seen people on more than 1 occasion have to go into the incoming traffic lane to avoid being broadsided by the bus pulling out < & Have had several close calls myself.
So not really a Bus Driver complaint as an asinine law complaint OB !
A lot of people have less with no leisure and overdue bills… and why is he or Metro Transit responsible for your teeth? Obviously you can’t’ compare your job and his, right? And do you have no complaints about your job? If we bitch about the service, its about poor planning, not the drivers. If we bitch about the driver-and your boyfriend is as nice a guy as you day-then we aren’t bitching about him. Either way, he can’t take that personally. And really, did you think this bitch would be well received? You’re fighting for him why?
This bitch sounds like bullshit to me. I work a pretty crummy job 13.50 an hour. No union dues but medical/dental and all that. Can’t afford to buy a house on my salary (as a single person) but I live pretty darn comfortably. Plenty of money for rent, food, bills, etc… If this guy is making 20 bucks an hour and cant afford shit (in a dual income household) chances are you guys are living above your means or this bitch is fake. I avoid the bus whenever possible. I will walk for hours on a nice day because I enjoy walking. So I guess it’s true what they say – an empty bus is a happy bus.
I feel for you op. I hope your man can take the heat in the seat because it is a good job. It could be a great job but alas bellyachers and management don’t want us to enjoy it to the fullest. Some people would literally die if they could not complain. Complaining gives them purpose I guess. Fucked up but true. So tell him to keep on smiling and don’t stop for anyone who is not at the bus stop once he has left it. They certainly won’t be paying the 400$ fine. A deadheading bus is an empty bus and a happy one.
Yours truly.
If it’s such a good job, why is an empty bus such a good one? Your first and last statements contradict each other…
Why should your boyfriend be responsible for the rats nest in your mouth? I hope he isn’t sticking his dick in that death trap! If, and only if, he were to add you to the ”family plan” then your sorry mouth would be paying the additional $120.
So what, everyone has some things about their job they don’t love. If it’s as bad as you say, low pay, no benefits, horrible work environment, etc…then he should quit. Why do something that makes you miserable and keeps you poor. There are lots of jobs that someone can do if they like to drive, you don’t have to drive a bus for MT. There must be something keeping him there? There must be something keeping every bus driver that works for MT there, it can’t be all that bad.
You’re trying to say that Dental insurance is $350 a month? With which company? I’ve checked a couple of places and you can get both basic dental and medical for between $105-130 a month. What is his union dues?
$55/per pay = $110 per month. It’s $175/pay for a FAMILY plan. Simple arithmetic/reading comprehension.
“A lot of people have less with no leisure and overdue bills.”
Low wage workers telling those marginally better off to bugger off is just what government and business wants. Divide and conquer.
Just because *some* people are worse off doesn’t mean that others shouldn’t strive for a better life.
You people are depressing.
OB, what kind of hotel service are you providing that it matches the overpaid salary of a bus driver?
Ain’t nothing like a self-righteous “highly amused” girlfriend speakin’ up for her man, cuz you know, it’s so much better hearing from someone without any first-hand experience telling it like it is. Surely shnookums realized not everyone in the world learned how to play nice when he took a job working directly with the public? I don’t even drive a bus and I know there are lots of assholes out there.
We all have tough jobs. There are no more easy jobs anymore. What drives me and many others nuts is public sector workers seem to be able to be unproffessional without consequence, meanwhile the rest of us take crap from customers with a big smile on our face, slowly dying inside only for our tax dollars to be handed to people who are rude to us and get away with it. It’s not just busdrivers.
Meow, not sure what you are talking about but my figure is for a couple with both medical and dental a month and she is saying dental alone is $350 a month. You should check your reading comprehension. And for a family of four, the OB didn’t say if they had rug rats) it is $143.80 a month for both medical and dental. $350 a month for just dental seems to be exceedingly high.
What’s the good of him? Can’t even get your grill fixed. Dump his azz!
With all the negotiating the union does, why don’t they find a better health plan. Those costs don’t even make sense.
I have no problem with people making a decent living. I certainly wouldn’t do something unless I get fairly compensated for my time. My problem is with public employees telling me that the money I take from my hard earned paycheque isn’t enough for them and, how much their job sucks. There are people lined up around the block to do their job and can’t, because some ungrateful asshole is already doing it with a shitty attitude.
Dim Tim, one cannot comprehend what is not written. Thank you for clarifying your previous statement.
THOSE “HIGHER PAYING JOBS”
“He comes from much higher paying jobs to a job her (sic) would enjoy and that would have him home every night.” Tired of your self-centered attitudes
What would those “much higher paying jobs” have been? Why was he working every night? Did these higher paying jobs carry great responsibility? Would they have been at upper management, possibly at the CEO level?
In any case, I’m sure you were properly nurturing and provided tender loving care. Which raises the question, what do you both do every night?
New Avatar Alert! Pre-Euro Paper Money
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Yup TJ902 nailed it.
LOLZ “other deductions”…. you mean taxes, EI and CPP, right, OB?
Well guess what: EVERYONE has to pay those deductions.
I’ll bet you most of those deductions are government so really, STFU. I see my paycheque ass raped every two weeks, like everyone else who is lucky enough making more than minimum wage, so take the pity party elsewhere.
And 6 cavities? Jesus christ brush your dirty swamp mouth every once and a while and you might not have teeth rotting out of your head a la grampy g.
Bet she’s against fluoride in the water and spends lotsa money on bottled water.
Something stinks about that med/dental plan.
Our Union plan is for Med/dental , free glasses every 2nd year, as well as a 25000.00 life insurance policy , with the dismemberment etc clause & its around $80.00 a month. For a 20% we pay & 80% paid by the plan . Except the glasses as I’ve mentioned & accidental dental , like you get hit in the face with a baseball or a car accident , or another catastrophic face injury & then the dental reconstruction is paid for 100%.
So either she’s got her numbers wrong or someones skimming off the top.
Maybe hubby is hiding his poker money.
Reposted from a response to a previous Bitch:
Just opened my pay stub….I have 13.50/hr to live on for the next 2 weeks…with a family. No, I don’t have any wage garnishments either. My health plan is not gold plated and does have co payments. Governments are very good at manipulating numbers. As in a previous posting, the higher number (gross pay), has a degree of sticker shock for the public and elected officials will often leverage this when contract time is up.
Sometimes, the employer, public or private, will engage in “Ultimatum Bargaining”. Translate as…here is a dog of an offer…go F@#K OFF for a while. We (employer) will get to bargaining in good faith when we decide. Until then, we (employer) will go on a tax payer funded media blitz to undermine your image with the public and you can go without pay for an unknown period of time.
Once back to work…guess what? Any cost of living increase was a mirage. Because, you will have to pay more for a Health Plan and Pension Plan. Conveniently, the “Government” doesn’t discuss this end of the equation.
13.50/hr is not much money by any stretch. So some of you are not far off. There are many days that I feel I work for Rotten Ronnie and serve many of his loyal clients too. Cheers everyone, I’m going to get a Tylenol now.
And at Rotten Ronnie’s you make minimum wage, still have to pay taxes and still have to deal with the clientele, all while working on your feet all day and all the while NOT getting any medical/dental benefits. And that’s while probably working a second job because OH HAY places like mcdicks don’t usually hire full time positions. Pension plans? Pfft, forget about it.
You could have it A LOT worse. Everyone has some shitty aspect of their jobs. You just happen to have to deal with the general public, which are assholes. Cashiers, call centre employees, people slinging coffee and prepping your fast food all have to deal with the same public you do, but only make about half of what you do without the same benefits and salary.
So stop the ‘poor me’ routine. It could be a whole lot worse.
The Sentiment You state PMK reminds of:
The Russian parable of the Golden Trout. To paraphrase, a Russian peasant goes to the barn to milk his prized cow and is despondent to find his only livestock dead. The family is desperately poor and to obtain food and a distraction, goes fishing. He is shocked to bring a golden trout up on his hook. The trout says, “Comrade I can grant you any wish you want, but only one!” The peasant considers this, in light of his predicament and implores earnestly,”Yes I have one…I wish that my neighbours cow would die!”
In other words, we should all be content with the current situation given the fact someone else is bound to have it worse. Business and governments exploit this all the time to meet their own agendas or goals. In that, it’s easier to foist shitty wages/working conditions or overall social condition when the masses are distracted with envying each other. I’m for a better lot for everyone. On the other hand, one can never go broke appealing to the lowest common denominator. No…it’s not poor me, contrary to what you assert. It’s a case of poorer everyone. Unfortunately…Cheers.
Bus drivers complaining about their salaries is just a case of ‘poor little rich girl.’ I’m not saying they’re rich, what I am saying is you make decent wages — above what a lot make in this region so complaining won’t get you a whole bunch of sympathy, which is what ob is obviously looking for.
Yes the “pull out law” sucks, on so many levels.