No more Tolls on the Pike ! But... (Boston, Springfield: rental car, rental)

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Dm84

Like $60k/year base and up to $80k/year with OT. Still feeling sorry for them?

I certainly do, it's not like they are being let go with skills that can be used in a lot of places. To go from a miserable yet decent paying job to probably a job in retail paying less than half of that, is not a position I envy.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I certainly do, it's not like they are being let go with skills that can be used in a lot of places. To go from a miserable yet decent paying job to probably a job in retail paying less than half of that, is not a position I envy.

From what I've read most of them are using this as an opportunity to retire and start collecting that sweet pension they wouldn't have gotten working anywhere else.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by Dm84

From what I've read most of them are using this as an opportunity to retire and start collecting that sweet pension they wouldn't have gotten working anywhere else.

As I noted earlier, about 200 were offered early retirement. Another 100 were offered positions within DOT and the last 100 were laid off.

IMHO, there were well paying jobs that required very few skills. But they were miserable jobs. Those booths weren't exactly the ideal working environment with the weather and fumes. I would say that most here wouldn't do that job for $60K a year.

[LilyLeftTheValley]

We haven't had much time to use the Pike since moving here, and likely won't head to Boston via car much in the future either, so this won't affect us much. It's fairly easy to take the train from here if we want to do a day or overnight.

I'm glad they considered their workers and did what they could to ease the transition. That's worlds better than companies where their employees walk into work one day to find out their entire division or x overall workers has been laid off, and security will now escort them to their desk/locker to clean it out.

For everyone who is griping about their salaries/pensions, I agree with posters who said their working conditions were less than ideal. Not coal mining level, but certainly not sitting in an air conditioned office free of weather elements and constant emissions with less hazardous path towards a bathroom break between hours of accepting paperwork to hand over to someone else type job either. (Yes, that's quite a run on sentence, but I don't care to fix it atm.)

[G1..]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I certainly do, it's not like they are being let go with skills that can be used in a lot of places. To go from a miserable yet decent paying job to probably a job in retail paying less than half of that, is not a position I envy.

Pretty sure they all knew how to count cash back which if you ever use cash any more is a lost art.Add in that for 7 hours a day they were inhaling fumes from cars and truck and would stand leaning out a window 90% of the time .....I think they earned their money.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by robr2

As I noted earlier, about 200 were offered early retirement. Another 100 were offered positions within DOT and the last 100 were laid off.

IMHO, there were well paying jobs that required very few skills. But they were miserable jobs. Those booths weren't exactly the ideal working environment with the weather and fumes. I would say that most here wouldn't do that job for $60K a year.

Heck no. Horrible conditions. Brutal on one's health.

[htfdcolt]

My Monday morning drive from Hartford, CT to Chelmsford, MA, using the Mass Pike eastbound from I-84 to I-495, was probably the smoothest ever (and I've been doing this drive weekly for a number of months now). No backup on the exit ramps to I-495, and from what I could tell from the electronic signs, the drive time to Weston from that point was very good also.

Hope this is a long-lasting benefit of removing the &^%$ toll booths, not just a short-term gain!

[BostonMike7]

To be fair, traffic today was rather light. I was nowhere near the pike and probably had the best Monday AM drive in in a long time. Even the 95S to Rt3 exit was moving rather well compared to the last 3 weeks. My office seems quite today. People staying home for Halloween?




This thread made me just realize I ordered an additional transponder for my other car 3 weeks ago and still haven't seen it yet. Probably bad timing due to everyone else trying to get transponders.

[TAM88]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

My Monday morning drive from Hartford, CT to Chelmsford, MA, using the Mass Pike eastbound from I-84 to I-495, was probably the smoothest ever (and I've been doing this drive weekly for a number of months now). No backup on the exit ramps to I-495, and from what I could tell from the electronic signs, the drive time to Weston from that point was very good also.

Hope this is a long-lasting benefit of removing the &^%$ toll booths, not just a short-term gain!

I am going to be driving to CT for Thanksgiving and am hoping the 90/84 change is going to run a lot smoother than in previous years. Every year there's at least a 3 mile backup to the 84 exit and the tollbooths are to blame for that back log.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by TAM88

I am going to be driving to CT for Thanksgiving and am hoping the 90/84 change is going to run a lot smoother than in previous years. Every year there's at least a 3 mile backup to the 84 exit and the tollbooths are to blame for that back log.

Every year? Try every Friday afternoon

I'll find out this week and report back