Passenger Trains > MBTA-Secret Nook With TV and Videos Found at Rail Yard

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/15/surprise_find_at_somerville_commuter_rail_yard_tvs_dvds_video_games/

David Gunn wandered into at least one of the NY equivalents in his 3am visits to NYC subway and bus operations.

It's amazing what you can find when you wander around where you're not expected.

Yes, David Gunn's hatchet man, Dave Feeley, took a walk through Coney Island Main Shop one afternoon. Almost nobody was on the floor; the union had negotiated "quotas" for repair of various subway car parts, and once the quota was completed, an employee was free to go home. What Mr. Feeley did find were a number of padlocked refrigerators on the shop floor, in which employees presumably kept their lunches. He ordered padlocks removed from all fridges, and many turned out to be filled with beer and other alcoholic beverages. Mr. Feeley had this material removed, whereupon the union called a wildcat work stoppage. It didn't last, and the padlocks never reappeared.

No employees have come forward to claim the property since it was found Dec. 8. But six who were absent during a roll call on the evening it was discovered have been suspended as part of the investigation, including one employee who is accused of spending long breaks on the night shift at a bar he is believed to own on the North Shore. It is not clear whether the employee was drinking at the bar while on duty.

It's clear that with today's economy you have to have two jobs. However, you shouldn't have them at the same time.

/sar

Make Believe Commuter Railroad...

On the flip side of this equation, when I was Operating Manager of the Los Angeles MTA I visited a bus garage yard about 300am and found that most of the yard lights had burned out but in the corner of the yard I found a mechanic diligently working on repairing a bus in almost total darkness. When I asked him why he did not move the bus into a lighted area he explained that too much time would be consumed by this maneuver.

Net results of the visit:

1. The mechanic quickly became promotable material!

2. The embarrassed Superintendent of the garage had all the lights fixed the next day.

stone23 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On the flip side of this equation, when I was
> Operating Manager of the Los Angeles MTA I visited
> a bus garage yard about 300am and found that most
> of the yard lights had burned out but in the
> corner of the yard I found a mechanic diligently
> working on repairing a bus in almost total
> darkness. When I asked him why he did not move the
> bus into a lighted area he explained that too much
> time would be consumed by this maneuver.
>
> Net results of the visit:
>
> 1. The mechanic quickly became promotable
> material!
>
> 2. The embarrassed Superintendent of the garage
> had all the lights fixed the next day.

It's good the hear the flip side, we need more of that kind of attitude.

Nathan