Posts by BART employees
I'm always interested to read the posts written by BART employees, not so much for their content but for their appalling lack of grammar and spelling. Perhaps if these posters spent a little more time educating themselves and paid a little more attention to detail instead of ranting about "management", they could actually move into management positions and improve the situation. I suspect, however, they are content to just bitch about things and cling to their comfortable "us against them" perspective. It's much easier than actually assessing their own shortcomings.
I'm always interested to
I'm always interested to read posts by people who boast how they are superior because they can spell and use grammar, yet they fail to proof-read their own posts and consequently make themselves look like an idiot.
Just so you know, a comma always goes before "but" in any sentence. Also, any time you place a quote (" ") around something, the quotation mark goes after the punctuation.
This is very basic grammar.
BART EMPLOYEE
dumb shit needs to check his
dumb shit needs to check his or hers own grammar before speaking about others... ? Why would anyone want to get into management were your job is on a day to day basis.. the original person who posted this must be a wal mart shopper..
The BART employee's response
The BART employee's response is correct in pointing out grammatical errors in the original post but the central idea is a good one- the "us versus them" mentality we seem to see in so many of the comments. I also find it interesting that in the preceding post, the writer says a management job "is on a day to day basis." I presume that means as opposed to a union job, where a union member is guaranteed work regardless of how poor their performance. Then, when the trains aren't cleaned adequately, they can blame "management" for laying off workers to balance a budget thrown out of kilter by unrealistic labor contracts. Complaining sure beats working for a living (where you are employed based upon your contribution to the company, not your contribution to the union coffers).
I also see an "us versus
I also see an "us versus them" mentality in bart employee postings. The "us" being union bart employees, and the "them" being management and the riders.
average union job pay $55k
average union job pay $55k were an average non union pays over $100k.. do you know a secratery has a secratery and that secratery has an assistant... the general manager makes over $325k + perks... there is three times more mangement employess then union.. Between Train Operators and Station Agents the total is less then 800... There is over 2500 in mangement.... But who actually does the job...lets see the union employee on the front line... there is one employee to clean four stations ... How many times do i see idiots in suits leave there crap behind on the train... I wonder how there house looks... before you open your mouth get your facts straight... you just mad you work for Wal Mart as a Manager
Sounds like my facts are
Sounds like my facts are straight. Bart employees hate management and riders. I'm not sure how any of your information above is relevant except as support for that point. I don't care why you hate management and riders, I just noticed that bart employees on this board do. I'm not mad about it, I was just making an observation.
And by the way, it is "are" not "is", as in "there ARE three times more" and "There ARE over 2500". Also, it is "their" as in "I wonder how THEIR house looks." Telemarketers in India can grasp these concepts, why can't you?
i can, you love management
i can, you love management and outsourcing... you are a person who loves seen our jobs going overseas...you as a rider is not paying my salary... you paying management...look it up it public information.. oh i forgot you get handle the facts.. you right we hate management.. they take all the money, misuse it, then the front line employees take shit from morons like you... they just stop testing a project called AATC which does not work (Cost over $1billon dollars to date) New computer system (BAP over $80 millon) DONT WORK.....There are so many more projects that are costing millons of dollars. In exchange you get shorter trains, less service, and my favorite dirty trains.. Why dirty trains? Management laid off most of the cleaners (last time I check almost 50% less cleaners then four years ago)... Then you come along claiming Union works dont do their jobs.. But I see you leaving your crap behind on the trains... they invented garbage cans USE THEM....
I don't have any fuzzy
I don't have any fuzzy feelings for bart management or outsourcing. As for management, do you guys have a union or not? Why don't you do something about management rather than just threaten strikes for higher wages? As for outsourcing, it is poorly educated sub-moronic worker bees like yourself who make it both possible and necessary to send jobs overseas. Remember, there is a fourteen year old in India who will not clean the trains and stations for a fraction of what you are paid.
So you support child
So you support child labor... So you support outsourcing, child labor, anything else....Do you send your daughter/son out on the streets? You should because that what you are saying.. The only way morons like you hear the union employees is when we threaten a strike.. When is the last time you contacted your board of directors for BART and complained? Probably never, thats were your Wal Mart blue vest wearing ass needs to complain to.. Board of Directors can do something about management... Yes my Master of Science... is a poorly educated person...So you must be a GED graduate from County Jail.. Was Bobby your daddy?
I don't get it--could you
I don't get it--could you say that again in English?
you promote child labor,
you promote child labor, outsourcing....you hate your job that pays $17k a year... you work overtime without pay...but you are proud of your GED
Great, now work on your
Great, now work on your reading comprehension.
i will can you teach me
i will can you teach me please
Why bother to work on
Why bother to work on reading comprehension or anything else if you've got a union job at BART? You can just sit back, collect fat paychecks and bitch about riders and "management." Then, when someone has the nerve to point out your laziness, you can accuse them of being union-busting, child-labor supporting totalitarians. It's fun, easy and, best of all, anyone can do it!
Every time BART has a train
Every time BART has a train operator posting, over 13,000 people apply for it. I'm pretty certain 13,000 people didn't apply for your job. After the long hiring process, the intense and extremely stressful training program, you get about 10 good train operators. That's less than 1 percent. Actually, that's less than 0.001 percent of the application pool that become train operators. So basically, your chances of becoming a train operator is a little more than 1 in a 1000.
So with those facts presented, I think it's pretty safe to say that train operators are part of a very elite group.
And you still think anyone can do it?
I think it's possible that
I think it's possible that during any intense hiring process, the employees are on the "best" behavior. After a while if you've been doing that job for a while, the employee tends to slack off at times. Some just plain down hate their job but have to do it because it't their bread and butter. So to say the same elite group that made it still practices their job at 100% elite..is exaggerating.
Yeah, RIGHT! 13,000 people
Yeah, RIGHT! 13,000 people apply for train operator positions! What's your source on that? That's about as believable as the Easter Bunny. However, I don't doubt that Train Operators are well-trained for their jobs, I just think they and many other front line personnel are spoiled and forget they are in the customer service business as well as the transportation business.
I have good friends
I have good friends downtown. People in HR and the people that make the decisions to who gets hired. They relay info like this to me. That's one of the reasons why the hiring process is so tedious and lengthy, because HR is literally overwhelmed with applications.
You don't work for BART, so what you believe is really irrelevant honestly.
Elite is not exaggerating at
Elite is not exaggerating at all. Like I said before, I'm pretty confident that 13,000 people didn't apply for yor job. I know people that have been trying for YEARS to work for BART. Do people try for YEARS to work where you work? Everyday people are CONSTANTLY asking me how can they get on, or is BART hiring. Do people do that to you?
BART is a government job. It's protected by the union. You are treated extremely well, and are paid extremely well. The benefits and retirement package is one of the best anywhere. Operators never have to worry about getting laid off. Trains gotta run, and trains can't run without operators. Period. If anything, the demand for BART service is only gonna grow in the future. Job security at it's best.
It's not a secret that BART is one of the BEST places to work, and one of the hardest jobs to get in the bay area. That's one of the things that remind me how good of a position I'm in. There's THOUSANDS of people in the bay area that would trade places and switch jobs with me in a second. I know you can't say that about your job.
Regardless of what you think or feel, or how much you may dislike some of us and what we do, you can't deny those facts.
When I applied for Train
When I applied for Train Operator I went to an auditorium that held 500-750+ people. Every seat was filled up and you only got in by the invitation letter in the mail. The people that talked to us had to use the PA system in the room because it was so big. Wondering about my odds I asked about this very topic. The human resource people told me they were testing three times a day for two weeks. That adds up to 10 days X 1,500 people per day = 15,000 tests.
By the time I finished the 3 months of training and studying like I was on death row looking for a reprieve there was 12 of us left.
As far as what I say to people about my "lazyness" or how I'm "overpaid" is simple. BART pay's me minimum wage to operate a train, because when it's all said and done most of the time it's what you see. A monkey in blue that pushes a button when it hears the beeping noise. The remainder of what they pay me per hour is to put up with everything else including the haters on this board. This should answer everything about how the Union has the balls to demand better wages/benefits.
Sorry, I'm lost. How is it
Sorry, I'm lost. How is it that the union has the balls to demand better wages/benefits when applicants are stacked up 15K deep? I think the train operators are kind of a different category because they are actually doing their jobs all day. If I were Bart I would make it a management position.
What about station agent/cleaner? What is the demand like for this job?
Why is everyone so bitter
Why is everyone so bitter against the union? What's so bad about an organization that is fighting and trying to get all they can for their members so they can live good and be taken care of for the rest of their lives?
Isn't that why we work? Isn't that the purpose of having a job, so you can make enough money to live comfortably, provide for your families and live the lives we want to lead? I appreciate the union and what they do because they're HELPING TO SECURE MY FUTURE.
I'm convinced that a lot of people are so bitter because wish they had a union like ours in their corner.
"The remainder of what they
"The remainder of what they pay me per hour is to put up with everything else including the haters on this board." You get the surf the web while operating a train????
If this is such an elite job then how did an operator end up putting himself in a coma by hitting his head on the wall while his train was pulling out of 19th Street Station? This happened about 7 years ago, he was stoned. He got his job back after a length recupertion. I was on the train when he was being evaluated back on the job. The evaluator acutally told anyone that would listen about the incident. What a professional!
Just to clear something up.
Just to clear something up. The operator in that situation was not stoned. Are you an employee? And when people come back to work after an inury, we don't have "evaluators". Get your facts straight buddy.
And to put another hole in
And to put another hole in that story, that incident didn't happen at 19th either.
No, 13,000 people did not
No, 13,000 people did not apply for my job. You see, my job is very difficult and the qualification requirements are high. Take away the hard work and the high entry barriers and add a union that shields my job from any work or accountability and I'll bet you would get at least 13,000 applicants.
I'm pretty certain you
I'm pretty certain you wouldn't get 13,000 people applying for your job. Stop lying to yourself and us.
And if BART is what you think it is, sounds like we're in the ideal situation. No work, no accountability, we get paid great, and the system runs itself according to you. Instead of being a bitter hater, put in an application. Come get a peice of the pie.
Last time I checked, it's better to work smarter, not harder.
How come Bart employees
How come Bart employees sound so bitter? Do they cull the thousands of applicants for the most bitter person available? Or is it the lack challenges and insulation from work that makes them so?
Actually, it's a lot of the
Actually, it's a lot of the people that aren't BART employees that are bitter. You're a prime example of that, evidenced by your thinly disguised potshot.
Life is too good at BART for us to be bitter.
Is this moron that works for
Is this moron that works for Wal Mart still running his mouth... I just heard they are going to replace you with a wild monkey from the Oakland Zoo... The union hating moron needs to get his facts straght before openning his mouth.. When I applied for BART is was almost 9000 applicants.. I guess you are afraid to take the civil service test. That requires brains which from your statement you lack... Someone needs to put you on the corner of San Pablo Ave and 29th, because that is what your profession should be with brains like yours
That is rich, bart employees
That is rich, bart employees criticizing people that actually work for a living (you know, Walmart employees, prostitutes, monkeys, etc.)
You seem to think that the fact that lots of people apply for your job makes your job hard. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are lots of applicants for your jobs because anybody could do (as in not do) your jobs. It doesn't make you cool. Period.
Nobody said the job was
Nobody said the job was HARD. Although there is a lot of procedure and things to learn, and tough situations to deal with, there definitley are tougher jobs in the world.
And critizing people that actually work? Since we don't work according to you, I guess the system runs itself.
However, your rationalizing that anyone can do it couldn't be further from the truth. Since that's what you believe and you think it's so easy, why don't you apply for the train operator position that is posted on BART.gov, and see how you do? Just a thought.
BTW, being a hater doesn't make you cool either. Period.
As overpaid as train
As overpaid as train operators are, I couldn't justify the pay cut. I'm a hater because it pisses me off to see a wonderful system deteriorate. I put a large measure of the blame for this situation on the bart union. You can call me a Walmart employee all you want or deflect the blame to management, but LOTS of people feel the same way that I do.
And I'm willing to bet
And I'm willing to bet ranting on here is the most you've done regarding the deteriorating system.
You probably haven't attended one Customer In-Focus event, you probably haven't written one letter. People probably eat on the train in front of you, and you don't say a word.
When you, and countless others aren't doing, or saying anything regarding issues that you have with the system, what you're tired of is really irrelevant isn't it.
Take that as you want to.
Yup, stupid me, all I do is
Yup, stupid me, all I do is pay the f*****g fare every day. People like me don't do the things you are talking about above. We view ourselves as paying customers. If I don't get good service at WalMart, I'm not going to attend a community focus event--I'm just going to shop elsewhere.
Likewise, when I finally get fed up/scared to death of catching a disease riding Bart, I'll just start driving, taking the bus, working from home more or car pooling.
What is funny, is that if Bart just took half the money its spends advertising on the radio and hired a non-union vendor (in order to actually get the work done) to keep the trains clean, ridership would increase without any advertising.
Don't get me wrong, I like to gather around the campfire and kumbaya with the best of them, just not in support of a service I'm paying for. I'll save my civic energy for deserving causes.
Yes, and when paying
Yes, and when paying customers do not receive the level of service they feel they deserve, or have a problem with the service, they usually complain to someone that will listen, and that will resolve the problem. What makes you exempt?
If you gave BART mmnagement your opinion with as much passion as you do here, you might actually get somewhere with it.
And it you put down the
And it you put down the mouse and grabbed a mop none of this would be necessary.
I tell you what... i give
I tell you what... i give you my one year salary from BART, if you pass the 15 weeks of train operator class..... Which according to you is chump change and anyone can pass the class... If you fail the class or dont apply shut up...since you have no backbone to back up your idiotic crap you been posting here. if you have complaints call the board of directors, i know you have no back bone... Did anyone educate you were your fare goes to... its not to pay my salary or to keep the station clean...
OK, I was going to post a
OK, I was going to post a pithy reply about how I earn more in 15 weeks than you do in a year (probably do more work too), but I'm too fascinated by your last sentence.
Please educate me where my fare is going and where the money for your salary and station cleaning originates. This ought to be good.
I have to butt into this
I have to butt into this ping pong match as it is going nowhere. The BART Train Operator has twice challenged you to submit an application for a job you seem to think is so easy a monkey could do it. Rather than step up to the plate, you continue to ignore the challenge and brag about how it would be beneath you to take a pay cut and do less work. I have to side with the Train Operator. I just don't see YOU being willing to walk next to the third rail, (IN THE DARK)in an emergency situation, for the rate of pay the Train Operator receives. I don't see YOU being willing, nor able, to put up with people like yourself who ride BART on a daily basis. Your air of superiority only reveals your true feelings of inferiority. Knowing that a moving train cannot stop instantly, would you have the courage to sit in a train cab barreling toward a station platform crowded with people, wondering if one of those people is going to jump in front of your train? Let's carry that scenario a little farther. A person jumps in front of the train. Everything STOPS until emergency crews arrive. The "remains" cannot be removed until an investigation is conducted. Only a HazMat team can remove the "remains". Passengers - that would be YOU - have the audacity to COMPLAIN about the train delays! They curse at the Train Operators, Station Agents, BART Police and any other BART employee in sight. Gee, never mind that a PASSENGER jumped in front of the train and caused this problem. It is BART's fault. YOU complain about the dirty stations and trains. How much money would YOU have to be paid to clean up someone else's vomit, urine, feces, discarded syringes and other disgusting waste? You make MORE money and do MORE work in 15 weeks, right? Well, that seems equitable. If you do MORE work, you should be paid MORE money. So why do you begrudge the Train Operator for making less money than you do if he does less work than you do? What kind of logic is that?
Just to interject, when did
Just to interject, when did train operator start getting spelled with capital letters? OK, I can see President or Judge or even God, but Train Operator???
Let me tell you, I don't care how close you come to that third rail in the dark, YOU DON'T GET CAPS!!! You are a menial worker who would get paid $3.50/hr. plus tip jar in the real world.
And you just proved my point
And you just proved my point about your inferiority complex not to mention you ignorance of the job, didn't you? Menial labor? Train Operators' (it's capitalized because it's a JOB TITLE) duties hardly fit in the category of menial labor. Come back down to earth and reality. You seem to think that BART employees in general have a very low level of education. You'd be stunned to find out how many front line employees have college degrees...and Masters Degrees at that. Most of them can talk, and write, you under the table. However, they don't need run down others to prove it as you seem to delight in doing. If you want to go into a battle of wits, you shouldn't come half prepared. Do your homework. Have you ever read the job description for Train Operator? Oh wait! That's right, why bother? It would be a cut in pay. You don't have the courage to apply for the job so why read the job description? Do you realize that your ignorant diatribe is entertaining rather than insulting? What you really need to face is that the people who chose to work for BART are actually smarter than you are because they have a better education and they chose a more secure job with better benefits than you did. They decided that they'd rather have a REAL life with time for their families, less anger, less stress and more time for fun in life. They aren't trying to impress anyone by keeping up false pretenses as to who they really are. Is that really so awful? Just keep telling everyone how much money you make and how much smarter you are and you just might finally convince YOURSELF....'cause the rest of us "ain't buyin' it". What was that the Train Operator said? "Thank You for riding BART"
The system must run itself
The system must run itself because when the computer goes down the whole system freezes. The rest of you "employees" are window dressing.
Well since you know it all
Well since you know it all and have us all pegged, no use wasting time explaining anything to you.
Thank you for riding BART!
Drive the trains! Scrap the
Drive the trains! Scrap the computer except for safety functions.
Tokyo's Yamanote Line runs 'em two minutes apart at rush hour!
Yeah, isn't Tokyo where that
Yeah, isn't Tokyo where that commuter train derailed due to operator error, slammed into a building, and killed a bunch of people a few months ago.
What's the next great idea you have?
That very tragic, and
That very tragic, and extremely rare, accident was in Osaka. Nothing remotely resembling that that had happened in 40 years. The safety record on Japan's trains is in fact nothing short of remarkable. JR (Japan Railways) runs over 28,000 scheduled runs per day, and accidents of all types are very uncommon and fatalities rare. The trains run on time. It is safer to ride a train in Japan that board a commercial aircraft. Accidents happen. Newer train systems use automatic braking to prevent overspeed and getting too close to the train ahead, but these are not implemented everywhere yet.
A BART spokesman today said something about a 95% on time record. Wow! That's pretty bad. That means on average 1 in 20 trains is late! They need to rethink what a good on time % would be - how about 99.9%?
If you like trains, just for fun, check out:
http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dajf/byunbyun/pics/300h.htm
http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dajf/byunbyun/gallery.htm
Lastly, if you would be interested in the safety statistics for Japan's commuter trains (Tokyo for instance), I think I can find something. I still think the computer has got to go. Ride comfort, specially on braking, is superior when operated by a human (no lurching) provided the train's equipment is designed and built for a human driver. Japan's trains (and Europe's) have set the standard. BART has quite a ways to go to reach that standard (convenience, cleanliness, safety, etc.), so I don't ride much anymore, except in a pinch, though I do love trains.
95% is bad? What are you
95% is bad? What are you smoking? Considering all the variables that are included in public transportation , mechanical failures, emergencies, and other unforseen things, 95% is pretty damn good.
99.9% would basically imply that Japan's transit system is perfect, and is NEVER late. I guess their trains don't break down, people don't jump in front of trains, there's no bomb threats and none of their equipment fails ever. All while being operated manually. Riiiiiiiiiight.
There's too many chances for human error while performing manual operations, that's why it is kept to a minimum, and performed under strict guidelines. What if a driver/operator is depressed? What if he/she is angry? What if they're hung over from the night before? What if they're an insomniac that has only had 4 hours of sleep in the last three days? Yeah, a person with those issues manually operating a 10 car train with a thousand people aboard is a comforting thought. With those varaibles presented, you're still gonna tell me that manual operation is better, and those trains in Japan run with a 99.9% efficency rate? If you were in charge of a commuter rail system, you would be getting sued so much, it wouldn't be funny.
And BTW how many people have died using Japan's rail commuter rail system for various reasons? (derailments, chemical attacks, ect.) Hundreds. How many people other than suicides, have died while using BART? Zero.
And you say BART needs to catch up with the Japanese when it comes to safety?
Kinda the same if all the
Kinda the same if all the computers and electrical equipment crashed and failed at your job. You wouldn't be too productive or useful either now would you?
*In reply to "The system must run itself".
when the computer goes down
when the computer goes down can run the trains manually and we do run them this way everyday but it's not ideal like the accidents in japan and france have shown. without electricity no train system can work.
13000 applicants for TO positions does not mean that wages should be lower, this is not an auction. public safety is the #1 concern at BART even at the expense of the schedule some $10 hr ding dong is not who you want in charge in a smoke filled tunnel or terror attack.
i'm not ashamed to work at BART or the wage i get and i don't take all of the vitriol on this forum to heart, all public employees get slammed from time to time. the fire station down the street does not seem to get much action but i know they are highly paid. i don't want their pay to be cut and they better be there 24/7.
BART train operator