We have all seen the photo of longtime TTC employee George Robitaille doing his best Homer Simpson donut dreaming impression, asleep in the token booth and no matter what you think of the infamous photo, it has definitely struck a nerve with the public.
Over the last few months, the TTC has seen a few well documented "missteps" including a significant fare increase, token shortages, subway disruptions which all might explain why this photo received so much attention as it was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak.
The photo has led to a harsh backlash from the public with both the TTC and their riders complaining about how rude each other are to the point where it becomes a chicken and egg problem. I have no idea who is more rude (the riders or the TTC staff) but for what it's worth, I took both GO Transit and the TTC everyday for 12 years of my life and my experience with the former was much more pleasant. Rider discontent has always been around and is well documented with even a few posts on this website but it was this photo that served as a rallying point for all of those frustrated by The Better Way.
There has also been an uproar on the internet about how much TTC employees get paid. Although collecting tokens and giving out change is not skilled labor, TTC staff gets paid like it is. I am sure there are other responsibilities for a token booth worker but at first glance, there does not appear to be much of a difference between their job and the single mom working as a cashier at Zellers other than token guy's salary being three times as much. Heck, if all the booth guy does is count tokens and change then maybe we can replace him with more token machines?
But as stated before, I am sure there are more responsibilities for a token booth guy than just dishing out change and while asleep Robitaille would have been neglecting all of them. One can wonder what would have happened if there was an actual serious situation around his booth? The issue regarding the hourly wages of TTC employees is not even the thing that irks me about the TTC sleeping guy. What bugs me is that there is a hint of arrogance on how the situation was handled. Robitaille fell asleep knowing that hundreds of people will walk by and see him and to make matters worse, pretended like there was nothing seriously wrong to the point of telling his critics to "wake up" to the real issues.
It is nice that Robitaille has tried to explain his actions (or lack thereof) by stating that he has health issues which would explain why he would be asleep on the job but that still does not make it right that he actually was asleep and if the TTC knew about his health problems then perhaps they should have been more proactive?
Even TTC chair Adam Giambrone's response to the situation leaves a lot to be desired. Sure he has since issued an apology but stating that “There’s a higher expectation today and the TTC needs to line up to that expectation” makes no sense at all to me as the TTC should realize that there is not a higher expectation today but only the same expectation that they have previously neglected and it took the massive public response to this picture for them to act. (And I will have to see it to believe it)
When I was in my late-teens I worked in a warehouse that employed students on the weekend. Life was not exactly easy as many of the young adults lifted boxes for 20 hours on the weekend (7am-5pm) to go along with being a student on the weekdays. There should have been no time for partying since we should have been asleep right when TGIF on ABC was done (Sabrina the Teenage Witch was 9:30pm I believe) but of course there were many people who came to work with very little sleep or none at all.
One of my friends used to take a nap while sitting on the toilet from 8-8:30am and somebody would need to bang on the stall door to wake him up for break. Another coworker told me that the best part of his day was when he sat down on the can and dropped a number two on company time. So it should come as no surprise that some people hate work and will try to avoid it at all costs.
In the end perhaps George Robitaille is actually a working man's hero? Isn't the goal for many people stuck in the rut of 9-to-5 jobs to get paid for doing absolutely nothing? Heck, maybe Robitaille should be applauded since most of us are suckers who drink two cups of coffee a day to stay awake after only 4 hours of sleep while the TTC sleeper was brave enough to fight the establishment and catch some z's in a public service job.
Maybe the infamous picture of Robitaille leaning back asleep on the job should be a motivation poster that reminds us that we can do what we want when we want. Perhaps we should go so far as to name a subway station after him because he dared to do what many people only dreamed of.
Or maybe the picture showed Toronto the TTC and Robitaille at their worst.
I found this comment on a forum on redflagdeals.com. It has some pretty interestion facts:
How on earth is it possible that 21 token collectors and 62 bus, streetcar and subway drivers earned over $100,000 last year and made it on something called “The Sunshine List” which is a list of city employees who earn over $100,000/year? In total 588 TTC employees earn over $100,000. I appreciate that they are obviously hard working people, but let’s be realistic; they are not discovering the cure for cancer. Many executives with post graduate degrees are not making that kind of money. The maximum base salary for station collectors and operators is $60,000. There is something seriously wrong with the TTC when employees are earning $40,000 in overtime. The TTC is clearly out of control. They have a massive problem with absenteeism and they are paying out ridiculous overtime payments. In 2008 workers off the job cost the TTC $5 million and compensation claims are rising exponentially. This year the TTC is planning to spend $5 million to hire about 950 drivers in addition to cleaners and maintenance workers.
Incredible as it seems, there are 1,500 city employees who are on The Sunshine List – 1,150 have base salaries over $100,000 and the others reached the mark by adding to their base salaries with overtime and other payments. Half of the City of Toronto’s budget goes to salaries and after looking at these figures, it is no surprise. Guess who is paying for all of this nonsense? You and I are paying with our tax dollars. I don’t know about you, but I feel royally ripped off.
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I also found out that the booth collector in question, went on leave and is now returning to work. So at the end of the day, his punishment was a week of paid vacation. Classic!
The thread can be found here:
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/ttc-fare-raise-rant-815471/
I need to get myself into one of these sleazy unions so that I can start earning six figures
i've had a few conversations with TTC workers, and from the way they describe their jobs, you'd think they were on the front lines of IRAQ. granted, driving the bus @ 2am on the bloor line must be really tough, but i'm not convinced i should be paying for your PTSD treatment just yet.
The TTC is totally mismanaged. It should not be run by politicians...it is the most backward transit system I have seen...and we call Toronto a "World Class City". If i can walk to work, I would
A significant portion of the frontline TTC staff, including drivers and ticket collectors, have no business interacting with people at all. While I empathize with those who are innocently affected by abuse, I have been treated with such crass, rude, obnoxious behaviour that had I been less rational I may have responded with actions that would have put me on the 6 oclock news. I can certainly see how their behaviour can bring on much of what their union complains about. The latest night shift, coffee break driver and the rider's story around the incident underscores that fact. This city is screwed if that idiot Giambrone becomes mayor.
Interesting take on the situation, but I think that Robitaille was doing the opposite of 'fighting the establishment'. I think he was benefitting from being a part of the establishment. He clearly knew he wouldn't get punished because the TTC union is out of control and the workers have can do whatever they want with impunity. Clearly Robitaille knows this, as he was obviously in the wrong but his response has been anything but apologetic. Rather he and the head of the TTC union try to villainize the TTC riders!?!? What hubris!