Recently, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has been under the spotlight as eight of their employees were fired for sleeping or showing signs of inattention on duty. According to the Boston Herald, these fired employees, including five bus drivers, a train operator, a bus inspector, and an electrical worker, were suspended anywhere from 40 to 70 days before being officially terminated.
Charlie Chieppo of the Pioneer Institute, a transportation watcher, claims that it is common knowledge some employees at the agency hold "no-show jobs," essentially working full-time elsewhere while accruing pension time at the MBTA. This practice, coupled with the vast amounts of overtime, difficult work schedules, and training, contributes significantly to employees' inattentiveness on duty and sleeping on the job. As reported by Business Khabar, nine employees of the agency had overtime exceeding $100,000 in 2023, with another seven workers logging over $90,000 in the same year. Chieppo highlights that these long-standing issues result from decades of reluctance to confront the Carmen's Union, a powerful union that represents transit workers.
This quasi-culture of evading responsibility is further revealed by 17 employees were suspended between 2020 and 2022 for similar reasons, with 14 of them ultimately fired. Despite this pattern, the MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo declined to provide any clarification on which offenses fall under the "attention to duty" rule, indicating a potential lack of transparency within the agency.
In response to the recent events, an MBTA spokesperson noted, "The image that frontline employees present to our customers is a critical element in maintaining the public's trust. It is of the utmost importance that MBTA employees project an image of alertness, professionalism, and engagement in their work at all times."
