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On the heels of the recent fare increase approval, it has come out that the MTA has spent about $2.5 million on changing the uniforms of New York City Subway token booth clerks, or as the MTA calls them "station agents". That breaks down to $738 per employee for white shirts, grey pants or skirts, grey and black ties or ascots, and a burgundy vest, sweater and coat.
A MTA spokesperson told the Daily News in a written statement that management decided upon the new uniforms to "provide a more professional and consistent look for all station agents." The MTA does provide uniforms, usually on a biennial basis, but according to an internal memo from August, the plan was to have the new uniforms on the employees by the start of December.
Token booth clerk Norman Winston Pou told the paper, "That's absolutely outrageous. They could improve facilities and job conditions with that money." And a clerk that didn’t want to give their name for fear of reprisals commented and questioned the suitability of the choice of new uniform, "I feel like a busboy. It's a dirty environment. It's not an office, an open space, with a water cooler and all that. It's a train station." One poster to a subway message board noted that, "The clerk [pictured in the Daily News] looks like a certain union activist."
One thing that wasn’t mentioned in the Daily News piece was that burgundy is the color that was introduced for the uniforms of the former token booth clerks who were booted out of their booths and re-branded "station customer service agents". They were created in 2005, as a compromise measure with the closing 164 token booths. However, the burgundy painted booths do not sell MetroCards and the part-time agents are just in the station to assist passengers. We hope that there isn’t some sort of scheme to further reduce the amount of booths where you can actually get a MetroCard from a human being. Plus we didn't see anything wrong with the old uniforms.
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Lovely.
OMG, doesn't the MTA have bigger issues to address other than the uniforms of their employees. Yes, let's have MTA attendants dress like telegram boys from the 20s or fancy ice cream shoppe clerks. Uniforms are very important and I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill, but do MTA attendants really have to dress like the butler from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? People people and poop in every corner of the subway.
OMG, doesn't the MTA have bigger issues to address other than the uniforms of their employees. Yes, let's have MTA attendants dress like telegram boys from the 20s or fancy ice cream shoppe clerks. Uniforms are very important and I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill, but do MTA attendants really have to dress like the butler from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? People pee and poop in every corner of the subway.
I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill
I'm not sure I would call their salaries mediocre. This is from a Dec. 2005 NY Times OpEd piece:
According to the authority, the average subway or bus operator earns nearly $63,000 per year. The average subway conductor earns about $54,000. The average station agent earns about $51,000. A subway cleaner earns about $40,000.
funny how it's ok to shell out this money for station agents who barely do their job, but force cops to buy theirs.
station agents should be paying for the uniforms.
the money they're saving on that free healthcare they went on strike for can get them a shiny new uniform.
"According to the authority, the average subway or bus operator earns nearly $63,000 per year. The average subway conductor earns about $54,000. The average station agent earns about $51,000. A subway cleaner earns about $40,000."
where can i apply?
where can i apply?
You're probably overqualified.
what a waste of money.
These people are a complete waste of space and money. They get paid twice as much as an entry-level NYPD officer... and I'd feel much better with two of them in the station than one of these bozos.
new pajamas!
I'm glad that the relatively mediocre salary earning employeese won't have to foot the bill,
I wish my hourly rate and benefits were that mediocre.
"...station agents who barely do their job..."
Just last week I was getting on the 1 at 34th st. and the "agent" told me she couldn't give me change for a $20 bill so I could buy a $7 day pass (whilst she was overly lecturing another rider about how to swipe a card, in quite a chastising manner). So I went to the station across the street and the attendant made change without fuss. I guess different policies apply on the Westerly side of 7th Ave.
"...station agents who barely do their job..."
Just last week I was getting on the 1 at 34th st. and the "agent" told me she couldn't give me change for a $20 bill so I could buy a $7 day pass (whilst she was overly lecturing another rider about how to swipe a card, in quite a chastising manner). So I went to the station across the street and the attendant made change without fuss. I guess different policies apply on the Westerly side of 7th Ave.
$738?!?!?!?!?!?!
Is that for 5 days worth of uniforms?
Pillows would have been more cost effective.
good thing i have a college education.. i make twice their salary.
How about hats?
I have a four year degree from a top 25 private university and make less than that.
Everyone of these attendants that I had a displeasure dealing with... well, their you have it, a displeasure. They are idiots, who don't speak english. WHY are they there? Why? To blast their hip-hop crap and appear offensive?
Hey! i worked one of those token booths for 20 years.when they were the old booths,where people like the ones complaining here spit at us ,held us up,and jumped turnstiles.What comes around goes around