Where can you make $400 dollars an hour and have almost no skills?

Guess where high school dropouts can make $400 an hour

In this week's imaginary career advice column, one reader writes: Well, Unworthy, I'm glad you asked that. It turns out I have just the job for you: performing largely unskilled labor building subway tunnels in New York City! An accountant discovered the discrepancy while reviewing the budget for new train platforms under Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

From article, (In this week's imaginary career advice column, one reader writes:
Dear Ed,
I'm a high school dropout and have no marketable skills, but I feel entitled to earn $400 an hour. What kind of career path could you recommend?
Sincerely,
Unworthy but Entitled

Well, Unworthy, I'm glad you asked that. It turns out I have just the job for you: performing largely unskilled labor building subway tunnels in New York City!

An accountant discovered the discrepancy while reviewing the budget for new train platforms under Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

The budget showed that 900 workers were being paid to dig caverns for the platforms as part of a 3.5-mile tunnel connecting the historic station to the Long Island Rail Road. But the accountant could ... identify [only] about 700 jobs that needed to be done, according to three project supervisors. Officials could not find any reason for the other 200 people to be there.

One part of Local 147's deal entitles the union to $450,000 for each tunnel-boring machine used. That is to make up for job losses from "technological advancement," even though equipment has been standard for decades.

But maybe the idea of working on subway tunnels, even at $400 an hour, doesn't appeal to you. If you're willing to consider a small pay cut, consider working for the New York transit authority, where the average compensation is $140,000 a year.

New York City Transit paid $6.2 billion in wages and benefits for the 44,256 workers and bosses who operate the subways and buses. That works out to average compensation of $140,000, essentially the same as workers in city agencies, according to Jamison Dague, the director of infrastructure studies at the Citizens Budget Commission.

You could even work in a ticket booth for about $112,000 a year, even though 83% of all subway fares are sold by machines and workers in ticket booths have nothing to do most of the time and are prevented, by union rules, from helping out in any other part of the station.

This is all made possible by the cozy relationship between unions and Democratic politicians. [Republicans too.])

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 Me, "Unbelievable. While the writer of this article blames Democrats for keeping the system in place that makes MTA construction jobs run over budget, and NYC transit workers do nothing from archaic rules, Republicans are just as at fault. You've had Democrat and Republican mayors and governors come and go but the main problem, unchecked unions, stays the same. The solution is you have to get rid of unions. Republicans and Democrats do not want to change the status quo for fear of unions striking, causing untold problems with the riding public.

You want to lower construction costs or lower the outrageous salaries of MTA conductors? You have to pass a law in Albany stating Unions are not allowed to have anything to do with government agencies like the MTA and New York City Transit. These unions have pushed up the cost of projects, and they have pushed up the pay for conductors and bus drivers to ridiculous levels. How much do you need to earn to drive passengers somewhere or, build MTA construction projects before it becomes obvious that the Unions need to be put in their place?"