The Chicago Sun-Times reports:
Chicago taxpayers are wasting $18 million a year on 200 motor truck drivers who shuttle city crews to work sites, then get “paid to do nothing more than sit in a vehicle” waiting for crews to finish the job, the city’s inspector general has concluded.
In his latest audit pinpointing ways to save money, Inspector General Joe Ferguson argues that long-term collective bargaining agreements that lock in the superfluous position — when city crews could easily drive themselves — are costing taxpayers a fortune.
You might ask can changes be made in the collective bargaining agreement ?:
A Teamsters Union contract that runs until June 2017 — and pays motor truck drivers $33.85 an hour, which translates to $90,000 a year when benefits are included — prohibits the city from transferring certain driver responsibilities to other employees, except during emergencies. Nor is the city allowed to sub-contract services in a way that would trigger driver layoffs.
These working class heroes aren't helping Chicago's
population numbers.
