The Albuquerque Journal article mentions the top 10 overtime City employees, nine of which are public safety employees (4 APD officers, 4 corrections officers, and 1 Aviation police officer). You have chosen to focus on the bus driver on the list.

You claim an "average salary" in the US for bus drivers is $17,070. Based on the same site (http://swz.salary.com), an average base salary for an Albuquerque bus driver is only $16,404. With benefits and the rest, the average is $29,855. Your comparison figure of $17,070 base salary with salaries including benefits is apples-and-oranges.

The bus driver in question (Michael Toya) has a lot of seniority and is a self-confessed "workaholic." Nobody is suggesting that he didn't work the hours in question.

An annual "base salary" for US bus drivers of $17,070, if based on full time employment, translates to about $8.21/hour. Do you know any driver with a CDL willing to work for that?

A bigger problem with your selective reporting is your attack on Gail Reese. Look, Mario, there are many instances where it makes a lot more sense to pay overtime than to put on new workers, mostly because you've already covered the medical and other benefits for the worker getting the overtime. Hiring a worker also represents a commitment to future payments (e.g., pension, unemployment, et al.). It's less expensive to cut back on overtime, if necessary, than to lay off workers.

Mario, there are certainly issues where the City is flat wrong. This isn't one of them.
Charles McCoy | 11.28.05 - 9:24 am | #