| reply to IowaCowboy
Re: The unions will probably try to take over VZW said by IowaCowboy:....I myself am not a big fan of unions (particularly because they negotiate $50,000 salaries for toll collectors on the Mass Pike; who's work is worth minimum wage).
Highway Toll jobs are among the most dangerous to your health, I'd think it would be criminal to pay someone less than 50k. |
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| said by StuFry :said by IowaCowboy:....I myself am not a big fan of unions (particularly because they negotiate $50,000 salaries for toll collectors on the Mass Pike; who's work is worth minimum wage).
Highway Toll jobs are among the most dangerous to your health, I'd think it would be criminal to pay someone less than 50k. While I'm not a fan of Highway Tolls (have you ever driven the NJ turnpike from D.C. to NY? Delaware practically survives on Tolls alone. Anything else is just bonus), I'm inclined to think the same. |
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| reply to StuFry
said by StuFry :Highway Toll jobs are among the most dangerous to your health, I'd think it would be criminal to pay someone less than 50k.
I used to climb communication towers for a LOT less than 50k/yr and I'll guarantee you that job is more dangerous than sitting in a toll booth collecting tickets and making change.
The analogy is an apt one though, the CWA used to work for a company with a completely captive market, just as toll collectors do. They could demand whatever they wanted and Ma Bell was happy to oblige because they had a guaranteed source of revenue. The paradigm has since changed and the telephone company actually has to be competitive in order to survive. Of course, like most unions, the CWA doesn't worry about remaining their employer remaining competitive, business reality, or any of the other factors that employers (and employees at non-union shops) need to worry about. All they care about is "more, more, more."
Don't get me wrong, I have many friends who are CWA members and professionally they've pulled my butt out of the fire on numerous occasions. I just can't abide the entitlement complex that unions have, nor do I agree with professions where union membership is mandatory if you want to get/keep a job. I shouldn't be compelled to join an association and tithe my income to it in order to have a livelihood.
BTW, speaking of toll collectors, it's a LOT of fun to drive through the manned toll lane with your E-ZPass and see the look of disappointment on their face when you drive by without needing them. Enjoy the gravy train while it lasts people, you're already obsolete; it's only a matter of time before E-ZPass becomes mandatory or is supplemented with license plate readers to catch the people without tags. |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | reply to StuFry
I've never heard this. Why is this job particularly dangerous? Poor quality air from vehicle exhaust? Risk of being attacked by an angry motorist? Repetitive stress from making change (how is this different from any retail cashier)? UV skin/eye damage?
I'm completely serious. Why is this occupation dangerous to your health? |
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 pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | reply to Crookshanks
said by Crookshanks:Enjoy the gravy train while it lasts people, you're already obsolete; it's only a matter of time before E-ZPass becomes mandatory or is supplemented with license plate readers to catch the people without tags. The Intercounty Connector (MD Route 200) in Montgomery and PG counties in Maryland is such a toll road. There are no tollbooths and EZ-Pass is required, and plate-reading technologies automatically bill drivers who do not have an EZ-Pass transponder or a valid EZ-Pass account.
IMO I don't see why EZ-Pass in general still requires transponders... just read the plate number and bill from that.
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Romney 2012 - Put an adult in charge. |
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Reviews:
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| I drove on such a route (209 I think?) in Ontario on my way to Toronto. A few months after the fact I received an invoice in the mail (for $45 CAN! They aren't cheap!) for the toll charges that I then paid with a credit card. It was a pretty slick system and worked at full highway speeds without compelling you to slow down as E-ZPass does.
Not sure why we need transponders either, other than it's a legacy structure. Was OCR sufficiently advanced when E-ZPass came onto the scene to read license plates reliably? I'm guessing the answer is no? The technology is there now, at least on the NY Thruway, I've been automatically billed the appropriate amount the handful of times my transponder failed to register for whatever reason. |
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kaila
join:2000-10-11
Lincolnshire, IL | reply to rradina
I'm sure he's referring to health damage from the exhaust. I think there have been a number of new findings just how carcinogenic and damaging gas and diesel fumes are.
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Jeff Howe
Jeff's Blog - »www.ostjournal.net |
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| reply to Crookshanks
said by Crookshanks:worked at full highway speeds without compelling you to slow down as E-ZPass does. E-Z Pass doesn't require you to slow down, the narrow lanes with the toll collectors walking between booths and funky traffic patterns is why they force you to slow down. Parts of the NJ Turnpike and a number of the tolls in central VA are "full speed" and do not require you to slow down at all. Even the ones that you are supposed to slow down for will read just fine at 50 mph at 2 am 
/M |
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 tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Saint Clair Shores, MI | reply to Crookshanks
Enjoy the gravy train while it lasts people, you're already obsolete; it's only a matter of time before E-ZPass becomes mandatory or is supplemented with license plate readers to catch the people without tags.
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| reply to rradina
said by rradina:I'm completely serious. Why is this occupation dangerous to your health? Um, large, multi-ton chunks of steel moving at a high rate of speed + people not paying attention and/or drinking = BAD
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKrimbh08qw
/M |
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 IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA
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Considering the addition of Catalytic Converters to cars and banning tetraethyl lead in motor fuel in the United States, their working conditions are not that bad. And you only get those jobs if you have political connections.
Probably the biggest inconvenience in working a highway toll booth is the weather (they work in weather ranging from sub-zero to heat waves) and their toll booths are not climate controlled.
I have worked minimum wage jobs in hot weather (amusement parks), it's not fun but it sure beats unemployment.
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I wish I still lived in Iowa; Everything there from rent and groceries to Cable TV is much cheaper in Iowa (especially with an overbuilder in town). |
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IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA Reviews:
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| reply to mackey
said by mackey:said by Crookshanks:worked at full highway speeds without compelling you to slow down as E-ZPass does. E-Z Pass doesn't require you to slow down, the narrow lanes with the toll collectors walking between booths and funky traffic patterns is why they force you to slow down. Parts of the NJ Turnpike and a number of the tolls in central VA are "full speed" and do not require you to slow down at all. Even the ones that you are supposed to slow down for will read just fine at 50 mph at 2 am /M New Hampshire put in highway speed tolling on I-95 a few years ago (I think either in 2009 or 2010).
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I wish I still lived in Iowa; Everything there from rent and groceries to Cable TV is much cheaper in Iowa (especially with an overbuilder in town). |
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 N3OGHYo Soy Col. "Bat" GuanoPremium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
kudos:1 | reply to pnh102
Saw the same technology down in Florida on vacation in February. Rented a car & drove to the Keys. Love it.
Anyway, I still see a place for the "old" EZ Pass technology. The plate scanning technology is great for people who ocassionaly pass through tolls, but then the tolling agency has to bill the customer. Then you run into collection issues, no pay, fake tags, etc. Sure, all problems you see with EZ PASS, but the EZ PASS is pre paid. The agency is pretty much assured of getting their money for minimal effort, and usually bills in pre paid $35 blocks so they earn interest on your money....
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Petty people are disproportionally corrupted by petty power |
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| reply to Crookshanks
409
PA sucks in IL the main lines are all FULL speed EZ-PASS no need to slow down. |
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| reply to tc1uscg
no replaced part is just the old ones with dieing battery's that need to be swapped out. |
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 voipguy
join:2006-05-31
Forest Hills, NY | reply to mackey
E-470 around Denver: 75 MPH SPEED LIMIT, RIGHT THROUGH THE TOLL PLAZA. No toll booths, all transponders and license plat readers. |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | reply to mackey
The EZ Pass readers are programmed to not read above 20 or 5 MPH (the posted speed limit) so you get the $50 OCR License Plate ticket instead of the EZ Pass discount. |
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| reply to pnh102
We have sunpass and pay-by-plate here. There are alot of unmanned toll booths in some areas. I'm sure that will spread in time. |
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| reply to patcat88
said by patcat88:The EZ Pass readers are programmed to not read above 20 or 5 MPH (the posted speed limit) so you get the $50 OCR License Plate ticket instead of the EZ Pass discount. Never had that problem. You need to make sure that you have all your vehicles registered with your account. This can be easily done through their website. I believe their drill is as follows: if they could not read the tag, they take a photo. If they can match the plate, make and model of the car to an existing account, they just bill that account for the toll rate at that spot. Otherwise, they pull registered owner's info from DMV and send out a violation. So as long as you correctly list all your cars with your account and remember to update it every time you change cars, you should not be getting these violations. I think there were a few instances with me when it didn't read my tag. When I look at certain items on my statements, they show my plate number instead of tag.
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Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies...
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | reply to mackey
Is this risk greater than those incurred by fire or police professionals? I find it hard to believe they are charged premium health insurance rates because of this occupation. If they aren't, then the actuarials don't consider the risk you cite significant.
I did some research. Exhaust fumes, brake dust and other fine particulate matter can lead to a 40% increased risk of lung cancer. A report did mention being struck by a vehicle but it was one sentence followed by paragraphs of information regarding air contaminants. It seems air quality is the chief risk.
I would guess this can be rectified by providing a good HVAC system in the booth that creates a positive pressure environment. |
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