Hey Craig,
I noticed Friday morning a City of Chicago worker on the corner of Sheridan and Greenleaf in his backhoe. He was there for over 2 HOURS reading his Sun Times paper.
I am SO glad my taxes are going up in the city so they can afford to have this guy read his paper. I called the city and after several transfers I FINALLY found someone working today (the IG) to file my complaint, so hopefully they'll send someone. I've got pics if anyone would like to see your taxes hard at work.
SIgned
Dr. O
24 comments:
Yeah it's a nice little scam these city workers have going.
No wonder "doomsday budget" is becoming a commonly used term in this city. With shit like this going on it's no wonder public works projects get more and more expensive.
of all the construction workers whose job entails a lot of waiting around, heavy equipment operators are the do it the most. unless you think he should just start digging without a layout engineer to tell him where, or without an oiler to watch for people walking through his path and power lines above, you should be ok with that. running that thing is NOT a one person job. EVER.
Even if he is waiting for other people to do their jobs, it still points to poor management. Why isn't the opporation better coordinated?
I don't see guys sitting around at non-municapal jobsites, where there is no bottomless piggy bank.
BEEN THERE actually understands and respect of someone’s work. If you have ever worked on a construction site or for a trade you would understand.
Driving a back hoe requires a 150 card (Operatoring Engineers Union). UNION RULES DICTATE A FULL 8 HOURS PAY if you are called to a site, no matter the job length (20MINUTES – 8 HOURS).
Bottom line is if that man has been called to work only for 1 hour he gets paid for the full 8 hour workday. It is called a prevailing wage and if you don't understand that, then please LEAVE CHICAGO. So this guy decides to hang around the jobsite incase he is needed.
Jesus Craig you love to criticize and don’t even understand or respect peoples work. Have you ever operated a machine before? Do you understand the process he has to complete in the morning before he even begins operating his machine. These guys are very experienced and are the best at what they do. Do you know how complicated and complex it is to work underground next to gas mains and water mains, especially in a city like Chicago?
STOP WASTING THE TAXPAYER’S MONEY BY FILING BOGUS COMPLAINTS WITH NO MERITS AND CLOGGING UP THE CITY’S SERVICE LINES…
Dumb-ass Jeffrey said....> "Jesus Craig you love to criticize and don’t even understand or respect peoples work. Have you ever operated a machine before?"
Well Jeffrey, I have. For the record I was raised on a farm. I've logged 100's of hours on either John Deere, International Harvester, Case and Kubota tractors. I'm versatile, I also can work on them too.
Just this weekend I dug a dozen trenches for our personal EnduroCross track with a back-hoe. Sorry, I didn't have one of my nephews take pictures to prove it, but we were too busy.... WORKING.
So, from the looks of things I've put in more hours on a back-hoe than this lazy ass.
If my cousin ran a farm with these bone-headed goof-ball city workers, the crops would still be in the field today.
is he reading the funnies?
The guy probably applied for Worker's Comp when his left buttcheek got numb.
We've all seen that "Been There" has excuses for all kinds of inappropriate behaviors.
I agree, it seems wasteful. Just because things are a certain way, doesn't mean changing them isn't a bad idea.
It's a taxpayers right to gripe buddy. If you don't like it, leave Chicago.
well jeffrey, it would appear that you have no idea what prevailing wage is, or what it means. please leave chicago.
to define prevailing wage...The hourly wage, usual benefits and overtime, paid in the largest city in each county to the majority of workers, laborers, and mechanics.
so, prevailing wage has to do with how much he makes an hour.
doesn't have anything to do with the work one hour get paid for eight scam.
Been There and Jeffery,
I am also a highly trained city worker, with a license and many hours of training, who needs to perform many tasks before even starting work everyday...
and yet I have never hung around waiting to be told what to do. If the job assigned ended up not happening, I would ask my boss what else needs to be done, or I would find something else to do that was a constructive use of my time (and the taxpayers money).
Eight hours pay deserves eight hours work.
When I worked as a server and bartender in restaurants, if there were no customers, there was always cleaning to be done. I'm sure this guy, or his boss, could find something better to do than for him to read the paper. Also, if it was 15-20 minutes...no big deal...waiting for everyone else to arrive. But he sat there for 3 solid hours...and then left without doing a single thing to the hole that was created two days prior. An hour or so later the load of gravel showed up, and nothing happened today. If this kind of thing is SOP...then DON'T raise my taxes...find some other way to pay for this waste of money, but if Richard II wants more of my money...put it to GOOD use...don't waste more of it because you have more.
I agree with Walter and Jocelyn. Taxpayers have a right to expect that their dollars are being spent efficiently. That means the folks coordinating these jobs need to get better at it. Just because the status quo is what it is today does not mean it needs to stay that way.
Thank you Dave for explaining prevailing wage to Jeffrey. What he describes is more likely the outcome of a negotiated contract. I'd sure like to see that one.
To been there: I see private construction sites in action and I don't doubt for a minute those guys do have some amount of down time. I also know that time is money for the private sector, and down time is a cost they prefer not to incur because it is an unproductive addition to project costs and can create unnecessary delays in meeting the schedule. The city could do worse than to take a page from private industry in managing their projects. But then promoting efficiency does not seem to be their strong suit. I would also add that the city, of all entities, should be extremely sensitive to the perception of laggard employees (even if they aren't) given that Hizzoner wants a bunch more money from us. People won't accept that nonsense from the Federal sector, so why should they be expected to accept it from the State, County, or City bureaucracies?
As I mentioned above; just because it's the status quo today doesn't mean it has to continue that way tomorrow.
I hope Jeffrey isn't a Union representative. "20 minutes equals 8 hours?" Jefferey, are you really defending this? It sounds completely ridiculous!
well, construction trades sign contracts with area employers. if it was not a deal that was profitable for everyone, the contract would be different. isn't that how the free market works, kheris?
and craig, you are just bullshitting. you do not go around hopping on people's backhoes without proper licensing, etc. i can't believe anyone smart enough to afford a machine that big would let you drive it. sorry. just do not believe this one.
working on the farm is just not the same thing as working somewhere where there are people, traffic, power lines, sewers, etc.
there is not a "for profit" construction contractor that wouldn't hold a gun to his grannies head to get every dime out of their heavy equipment. but believe me, there are plenty of times when their machines sit around also. it is just more expensive for a crew, really sometimes the whole job, to wait on a machine than for a machine to wait on the workers. if you had all the numbers, instead of just the time that one guy spent reading the paper, you would be in a position to know. but you don't and you aren't.
and jocelyn, if i have arguments to the uniformed, uneducated, twisted judgments perhaps you should listen once in a while. i speak from the real world. drop on by some time.
@been there:
I live in that real world too, and I am living through a project now. Negotiated agreements are not necessarily profitable for everyone. Their provisions are a factor that has to be included in assessing a project's cost and schedule. Are you suggesting that those agreements are written in such a way as to ensure inefficiency in the private sector? Do you really believe that responsible contractors and project managers are not going to work hard at minimizing down time and getting the most out of their workers?
I'd think people would want to know what he was waiting for. What's the point of all the blind animosity toward city workers? Do people think if a job requires one hour on the machine people should only get paid for one hour? You can't retain a worker for one hour of employment a day? Public works jobs are and should be good respected jobs. If there's inefficiencies, there's lots oF things we could do, learn why things are the way they are, study models of efficiency and advocate for a better way if possible. Blindly hating city workers? What? I don't think anybody really enjoys waiting around all day for something to do. Does anybody like waiting around all day? I wouldn't think so. Day goes quicker and feels like good day when work is getting done. I don't imagine anybody would be just sitting around for the joy of wasting taxpayer's money. I can't see it. What are you people talking about.
Vanessa, is as dumb as a box of rocks. Count your lucky stars you don't run a business. You're a total failure. Go back to your elementary blog.
My, my, my. I stayed away too long. I knew it would piss you off. Probably been seething with jealousy, too, at all the fun we've been having. Over at Westgard's Blog. Well, I'm with him, I think you do a great job cranking this out diligently and dutifully almost everyday for us. I'll miss it if it goes away.
I don't agree with Craig all the time, but Westguard and Paradise are the biggest retards around!
no kheris, i am not arguing that labor contract insure inefficiency. quite the opposite. especially in this day and age. i am arguing that contractors would not approve those terms if they interfered with profitability. you all think that an idle machine is worthless, that the man is being paid to do nothing. this is not correct. that man is being paid to be there when he IS needed, which is very valuable. any why the operators have a contract that reflects that.
no kheris, i am not arguing that labor contract insure inefficiency. quite the opposite. especially in this day and age. i am arguing that contractors would not approve those terms if they interfered with profitability.
The purpose of negotiated contracts is to protect the interests of all parties, however they define that interest. It doesn't always work out that way. If it did we wouldn't have workers waiting for something to happen and then leaving because their time is up.
I read Dr. O's description in the comments as to what occurred.
But he sat there for 3 solid hours...and then left without doing a single thing to the hole that was created two days prior. An hour or so later the load of gravel showed up, and nothing happened today.
That scenario should never have happened. The system is broken and needs fixing.
Well Craig, you pay me to write this blog and sleep in the offices of Gay Chicago, so.......
Who's the bigger sucker?
You, especially when you ............
Oh, I won't tell what I saw you doing in the bathroom.
hey DUMBASS CRAIG, I didn't ask if your white-trash activities allowed you to fumble around on a back hoe. Digging a ditch in a corn field hardly takes skill. I asked you if you have ever worked on a construction site. Do you understand what a TRADE is? Have you ever dug around water or gas lines in Chicago? Do you know how poorly marked they are in Chicago and how tough it is to work underground? NO so SHUT YOUR TRAP
When is the last time you remember a city worker blowing up a city block because they hit a gas main?
Does it sound reasonable that maybe the gas company didn't come out to mark their lines or the water company?
What would cost the taxpayer's more; a city worker sitting on his ass for 2 hours (80.00 at most) or blowing up a city block (PRICELESS)!
Wanna talk about waste, look at that patronage positions the city has: Chicago's Board of elections. 3 croonies hand selected (and paid more) to do a job that 1 County Clerk does with a larger jurisdiction and more responsibilities (vitals, property taxes)
Show some respect for farmers Jeff. I mean geez. It sounds like you have some personal interest in this issue that is making you so hostile towards other viewpoints.
Natas, you're grounded- go back to your blog or at least just troll about silently.
I just got in on this thread. I'm very confused. You see I know some city workers like this guy. They get told to go to a location. A truck arrives with the backhoe. They are told to wait for the rest of the crew, supplies and a supervisor.
This guy sitting in the backhoe was just doing what he was told to do. Show up and wait for the rest of the crew. Is it his fault that the rest of the crew did not show up? He sat in the backhoe reading the newspaper. This is what he was supposed to do. He didn't wander off to a bar or a coffee shop to wait.
I work in an office. I cant tell you how many times I've been told to sit tight, work was coming from another department. And then we sit and wait. And wait. And wait. Some asshole cant get his or her act together to give you that work until the very last moment. You know how that goes Joycelyn.
However this guy does runs a backhoe. He's told where to go, what to do and when to do it.
When you're out in public anybody can snap a picture and make up a story to go with it. I know plenty of people who sit on their asses in their offices ready on the internet.
One last comment, how do you know this is a city worker and not a private contractor? Most of the city backhoes are painted blue. Private contractors that work for the city use equipment like this. Is this street work city sponsored street work, or was it work done by a private owner having to repair their sewer or water connection? Who truly has the full story here? I hope this Dr O takes this photo to the city inspector general's office. Everyone I'm sure will have a good laugh.
Post a Comment