What is the cushiest city employee job in Chicago? (Sheridan: city hall, living)

[AmosBanks]

I drive throughout the city for my job. There are corners in the city (Foster & Sheridan or Lake Park & 47th Street) where a CTA employee stands with a clipboard and charts/directs busses. They are dressed in a white shirt with a neon green vest. They all look to be in their 50s which suggests that it's a senior-level job.

CTA has been able to locate their vehicles using GPS long before Bus Tracker became available. I am sure those folks serve a purpose, but there must be some way to track busses without placing people on corners with clipboards.

It got me to thinking about easy jobs within the City of Chicago. Can you name an easier job to do than that?

[MannheimMadman]

I saw a 'sidewalk sweeper' from Streets and Sans over the weekend. He was in the loop at the Wabash/Adams stop and just standing around smoking a cigarette. Maybe it was his break, but that seems awfully easy. Doesn't someone like that get fairly bored and aspire to greater things?

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

I saw a 'sidewalk sweeper' from Streets and Sans over the weekend. He was in the loop at the Wabash/Adams stop and just standing around smoking a cigarette. Maybe it was his break, but that seems awfully easy. Doesn't someone like that get fairly bored and aspire to greater things?

Check the vest closely: Maybe he was a contractual employee of the Safer Foundation? You know, the ex-cons? Nice to see them attempting to earn an honest living at what they can do and what others don't want to do.

If you want to see cushy jobs, check the supervisory clerks in city hall.

[ParkerP]

I think those CTA people track buses to see if they arrive on time and to make sure there aren't too many bunched up together. I remember being on a bus and the driver purposely sat through 2 traffic light cycles because she didn't want to get penalized for arriving at a stop too early. Their gps and bus tracker systems must not be too reliable if they still need the people out there.

Cushy jobs? Gotta be somewhere within the ranks of the park district.

[quigboto]

CTA employees aren't city employees.

Next to the Mayor, seems like the aldermen have it best in this city because each ward is their own little fiefdom and they don't appear to actually do s#@& except count their money.

[ofcjim40]

You beat me to it. Seems like a lot of people don't understand that the CTA is not a City paid or related job. Easiest job would have to be whoever is a ghost payroller. Paid to do a job that you don't do. No shortage of those for the Alderman, etc.

[Trollblaster]

Originally Posted by Manigault

Check the vest closely: Maybe he was a contractual employee of the Safer Foundation? You know, the ex-cons? Nice to see them attempting to earn an honest living at what they can do and what others don't want to do.

If you want to see cushy jobs, check the supervisory clerks in city hall.

Nice job of deflecting the great possibility that a city worker was loafing and posing some far flung unlikely explanation instead to explain what the man saw.

[Trollblaster]

Originally Posted by quigboto

CTA employees aren't city employees.

Next to the Mayor, seems like the aldermen have it best in this city because each ward is their own little fiefdom and they don't appear to actually do s#@& except count their money.

Don't let you Alderman find out you said that or your alley's garbage pickup might magically not occur for a couple of weeks.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by ParkerP

I think those CTA people track buses to see if they arrive on time and to make sure there aren't too many bunched up together.

These CTA line supervisors are the only ones empowered to actually do something about bus bunching, and sometimes they do -- send a bus express, hold another bus back. And sometimes it actually works.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by Trollblaster

Nice job of deflecting the great possibility that a city worker was loafing and posing some far flung unlikely explanation instead to explain what the man saw.

Did he check the vest or not? Instead of a city worker it could very possibly have been a contract employee.

If you want to deal with facts.