Metro Transit driver Matt Faulkner contacted me to talk about why scheduling is such a big issue for him, and so I met him at the Sportsplex this morning to hear him out.
This is Matt’s story:
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2012.
Full-time dad and bus driver Matt Faulkner
Chose bus driving as a career so he could schedule time with his kids.
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OMG really? Waaaahhhh are the bus drivers. Gee whiz, what family doesn’t have to put up with scheduling challenges. I’m getting tired of all the metro transit drivers complaining. Suck it up! No one else gets preferential treatment.
Huh, what this driver is saying doesn’t fit the way we’ve been told the system would work under new scheduling method, which is essentially the same as the old system only instead of creating a block from scratch day-to-day and week-to-week, it’s submitted in advance for the entire block of three months, or whatever. So we’re being misinformed out here, or some of the union’s members don’t know what they’re striking for.
Secondarily, as an observation, if you think you’re getting hired as an accountant when you show for the interview looking like an extra from SONS OF ANARCHY, you’re not living in the real world. In this vein, does anyone else believe that Metro Transit should demand as a concession some kind of fundamental code of appearance for operators? They’re one face of the city to residents and tourists, and a lot of those faces sitting behind the wheel would cause women and children to cross the street to avoid. Some, like this guy proudly wear ungroomed facial hair and multiple piercings all over their heads, there’s one guy driving out there with an unrestrained mess of curly hair that actually covers his eyes, then there was the skinhead with the clown-coloured moustache and lip beard. I’m no pro-conformist, but it’s when people pursue a vocation serving the public face-to-face and represent an entire region to passengers and anyone who sees them on the road, this is a disagreeable and anti-social way to present yourself.
Dude, ev1, 1962 called, it wants its brylcream back! Seriously though, elect Fred for mayor and I’m sure we’ll have the smartest dressed drivers and perfectly coifed hair to boot! Oops, did I say seriously?
Fire all these idiots and hire people that would appreciate a well paying job. Welcome to the real world Matt. A world where 99% of the population can’t control their schedules and how they work. Here’s an idea, get a another job, hire a babysitter/day care, and come home during the evenings to spend time with your kids AND YOUR WIFE. Not only would it benefit your wife it would benefit your entire family. Idiot!!!
Wow. Personally, I’d rather have a bus driver with a helpful and decent personality – I have been on a couple of routes with this driver, and he is AWESOME. He’s helpful, personable, and knowledgeable. Doesn’t bother me that he has piercings, and I certainly don’t find his appearance either disagreeable or anti-social.
As to other comments… the drivers are not looking for preferential treatment. They are hoping that the city will honour the agreements under which they were hired. If you took a job on the condition that you would work, for example, all evenings, from 4 p.m. to midnight, Monday to Friday, and were then informed that you were going to get the same number of hours, but that they would now be spread over 6 days a week, with varying shifts every day, would you be happy?
Pretty sure I couldn’t drive a bus – many passengers are obnoxious and ignorant; schedules make it tough for couples to get much time together, which wreaks havoc on family life (and may explain spiralling divorce rates amongst transit drivers everywhere, not just here). For all the people squawking “Awww, poor baby!” might I suggest that you think about how it would feel if the terms and conditions of your employment could be changed capriciously and arbitrarily?!
Plenty of people have complained that this is just a “bad time” for a transit strike. Huh? There’s a GOOD time for one? Transit is how I get around. At least 6 days a week. I live on one side of the harbour and have obligations on the other side of the harbour, and so I am inconvenienced by this…. but I’m working my way through it and around it (thanks in part to Live 105 who gave me a lift last Friday!). I hope that this strike won’t go on much longer, but if it does, I will STILL support the drivers. This was never about the money – it’s about fairness and reasonable treatment of drivers by the people who are supposed to be responsible for managing Metro Transit – it looks from here as if they are doing less ‘managing’ and more ‘mangling.’
Awwww, what a shame huh? Grow up like the rest of us working stiffs who put up with much worse on a day to day basis. If it wasn’t for the union to hold their hand and go to bat for them; makes one wonder if some of them would even be able to hold down a job. Time to stand on your own two feet.
Everyone should stick to the issues not their bigotry’s!!!
If your jobs are so much worse than the bus driver’s maybe all you cry babies need to form a union. Unless you enjoy working like a slave for no pay while your bosses get rich. If that is the case than it would seem to me that the bus drivers are WAY smarter than you.
It’s apparent that the people voting on the “likes” or “dislikes” must be Matt’s friends/family/co-workers. I stated in my post that he should spend more time with his wife to allow his kids to grow up in a proper family unit, and I get 14 dislikes? Anyone who isn’t mentally challenged should agree with me. That is common knowledge. No wonder 80% of the transit union is divorced!
If some of you could pull yourselves away from the keyboard long enough to walk to the nearest 24/7 gas station, corner store, call centre, or whatever – you may find yourselves SHOCKED to learn that many of the people are there simply by their OWN CHOICE.
And what’s even more shocking is that they likely chose it because it fits their lifestyle – for whatever reason – be it schooling, child care, or maybe simply because they are night owls.
For guys like Matt, CHOOSING his shift allows for him to spend time with his children, cut down the childcare costs and STILL take home a decent paycheque?
How can you fault anyone for doing that? Oh right, this is The Coast and a lot of you are just assholes that can find fault in everything.
If someone at my job wants to do a night shift on a regular basis, then who the hell cares, especially if it eliminates the need for me having to work it?
Why aren’t other poor souls who have been so unfortunate fo find themselves in such hardships profiled in news stories? It just happens to be a transit driver and metro transit happens to be on strike. This stuff happens every day but do we hear about it otherwise? This guy or any other metro transit worker doesn’t deserve any more pity or empathy than anyone else who may be going through the same thing, IMHO.
Wow…All I have to say is that people need to get their heads out of their butts and get into the real world. How dare you judge people because of peircings and tattoo’s..if Matt took the job because of the scheduling and how it works for his family and spending time with them then I think that makes him a million times better father than alot of men out there. I think that anyone that had a regualar scheduled shift and had it changed has more than enough reason to be upset and stand up for what they believe in. I know Matt personally and I honestly have to say that he is one of the very best fathers that I know of, he is ALWAYS with his family and misses nothing with his children. He spends time volunteering at the school and even all other peoples children love him and get excited to see him. He is one of the sweetest, kindest, people that I have ever met. No one here can tell me that if you had a job and were given guarenteed shifts and scheduled your child care around that and then had that taken away from you that you wouldn’t be upset. I understand that people are upset about the transit strike, but these people are also not being paid..I am sure not all of them like it either, all they want is the chance to say their peace and they have just as much a right to that as all of you….talk about your uneducated people, they are the ones that judge people before they know them or anything about them.
The Internet is a great place for folks to troll around making hateful remarks that they are too afraid to make in person. Oh well – what goes around comes around. I commend this man for figuring out how to earn a living while taking care of his children. Too many people live on welfare when they don’t have to and STILL fail to take care of their children.
@hockeynut: So I’m a troll because I commented on my belief??? IF you want I will GLADLY meet you and talk about it to your face! I have no issues with that! I’m not hiding behind anything. I had to post it in the comments. What was my alternative? How else would I have posted it???? Think before you speak.
I read some of these comments, here or elsewhere, and I have to believe that the fatcats love it: they’ve got the poor and the lower middle class fighting each other yet again. And what invariably happens is that the poor would rather see some marginally more fortunate people dragged down to their level than discuss ways in which they themselves could get pulled up.
And yes, you read that right: “lower middle class”. Based on what they are paid that’s all that the majority of bus drivers are (as single-income earners). I can understand that if you’re paid less than half that as a minimum-wage worker that metro transit wages appear astronomical…but they are not.
As for who has got it the worst, sure, there’s folks out there who have got shittier jobs. But not as many as some commentators here want to imply. Not *that* many people work split shifts as bus drivers do, and not *that* many people have shifts that can start that early in the morning or end after midnight. And I daresay that very few people have jobs where they have to cope both with the public *and* with traffic…at the same time.
To put it another way, if you’re working a crappy shift at a store for a few bucks above minimum wage, don’t get pissy at the bus drivers. Why don’t you get angry at yourself for putting yourself in your situation? Nobody else did it to you.
no, cyclopean, that’s not why. you’re a troll because you’ve obviously come back here after making your comment with a purpose. you’re quite obviously more interested in reacting (exactly like a troll does) to the feedback to your comment than simply saying your piece and leaving it at that.
we get it. you hate unions, don’t support the strike and think this driver is an “idiot” who doesn’t live in “the real world”, that place in your mind where everyone just takes whatever they can get and shuts their eyes and mouths to injustice perpetrated on their neighbours. let me give you a hint: people like you who just want to shit on others rather than take some time to understand where they’re coming from… nobody’s listening to you anymore after about the first 15 seconds of your open mouth. there’s no need.
@Zahra, “people need to get their heads out of their butts and get into the real world. How dare you judge people because of peircings and tattoo’s…” you say, to the amusement of anyone who occupies the same real world that we are living in, the actual real world, the one which exists, not the anarchic, libertarian, utopia inside your head. People, every one of us, are identified and estimated by our own appearance everyday, you hopeless, ignorant neo-hippie.
You ass clowns that feel the need to attack a person based on tatts or piercings show just how uneducated you are about the actual issues. Continue on your merry little sheeple way…….
I support the transit workers and I support the working class of this Country. If you think that you will ever become part of the elite 1% because that is the bill of sales that they have sold you then good luck. Some of us know how reality works….. we, the many will work hard all our lives and many of will achieve a decent quality of life and a life of good memories.
However I will not ask my fellow workers to GIVE up any thing that gives them some sort of benefit or satisfaction while they make money for the rich. Just because you accepted a job that gave no flexibility in your schedule these people should now give up what they have???? DUH!!!!!! Any argument that starts with the sentiment that compared to your job they should have to give up what benefits them in their job and contract is just like asking who will get to the BARE minimum first…. for the cost of their labour.
Think before you type
@ev1. I happen to take the 10 on many an occasion, and while I am annoyed about the strike, I can say that Matt is one of the nicest bus drivers in HRM.
This is a great article for so many reasons, but I have a favourite.
This guy, Matt Faulkner, admits he took this job because it allowed him to be the full-time dad to his kids. He says he chose to be a bus driver over a “CGA” (accountant job).
I’m guessing at a cocktail party, most of us would respect an accountant more than a bus driver. Now, I know better not to judge a book by its cover.
I’m also guessing Matt values his time with his kids more than time spent at his job. (hint: that’s a good thing)
Again, he chose a job that allows him to spend more time with his kids.
I don’t know about you, but to me, that makes Matt a hero.
Thanks buddy and if I ever catch a ride on your route, I’d be proud to shake your hand.
-Jeff
Hope things get worked out soon for everyone in a favorable way.
Way to go Matt, We support you 100%, and what a great father you are! We work to live not live to work, and if people take jobs that come with benefits for their families, damned right you should fight to keep them! Stay strong!
Again, the uneducated resort to personal attacks…..Thanks for proving my point…..some people NEVER get it. lol
I have never met this man…..but I would like to say “Way to go Matt!” What is wrong with a man who stands up and speaks out. Who are we to judge the way a family has chosen to live their lives? Obviously it appears to work for his wife and children considering the high rate of divorce in all occupations throughout Canada. How long are we going to sit back and let HRM and the rest of government dictate the way we live? The majority of people struggle every day to supply life’s basic necessities for their families….hell, most don’t even make enough money for their daily needs let alone plan for their future. Year after year governments come up with new ways to tax us and dictate how we are to live yet never giving most of us a raise in pay that will take us anyway near to what we need. So yes, if we have jobs with certain benefits (ie. scheduling, etc.) then I say we should do what is necessary in order to keep these benefits. It’s too bad that more people don’t have the guts to speak out and fight for what they deserve. Shame on those who make judgements based on what someones appearance is. Having read the above comments….those that know Matt believe him to be a a pleasant bus driver as well as a good family man regardless of what his appearance is. I do have great sympathy for those that travel by bus….and for their sake I hope the strike ends soon, but not at the expense of those that stand up for their rights. For what it’s worth, the bus drivers have my total support. Thanks Matt 🙂
All you people going on about metro have no clue, ya just wanna bitch about something
All you people that bitch about Metro Transit , just have no FN clue and you just want something to bitch about ,
His strike prevents ME from spending quality time with MY family so fuck him and the horse he rode on!
why can’t he get child care? from what i hear metro offers pretty good pay. Shouldn’t he be able to afford it?
Having read/heard both sides of issue,and seeing all the ignorant comments from the public,I agree with the Driver’s/workers,why should they give up what they allready have to please you,Zipper up and support these people,if it wasnot for Union’s fighting goverment/cities over the years,a lot of us would not be where we are today”,I am thinking the people who are rude, are ones who tried for the Bus Driving jobs that came up,and now are bitter in not being accepted for even an interview,I know I applied,I went through the steps,which could take up to a year,I could not wait that long so took a job at the Dockyard,,,Good Luck Guys/Gals not everyone is ignorant of the facts