Why Your Kids Should Become Janitors In Brockton, Massachusetts
It used to be public sector jobs were low-paying. Now it's the private-sector ones that are by comparison -- especially those where they work out some ridiculous sweetheart deal, like in this case. From EnterpriseNews.com, the headline: "Don't waste money on college; be a Brockton school custodian."
Check out the pay:
The average pay for those custodians last year was an astonishing $64,489. Five school custodians made more than $100,000 in 2012. Nice money if you can get it. But you can't. It's just for members of the Brockton school custodian union.We don't doubt that the custodians work hard. But the pay is more than twice the annual average wage of Boston-area custodians. The median hourly wage across the country is $10.73. Brockton's custodians make between $19.43 and $33 per hour.
But here's the most troubling part: The primary reason the custodians make so much money is that, about 20 years ago, they negotiated a contract which allows them to be school-crossing guards - at an overtime rate that ranges between $29 and about $50 per hour. Let's see your kid make that much money after four years of college at a cost of about $200,000.
Crossing guards for $50 per hour? It must be a misprint. After all, no other school district we surveyed in the area pays their crossing guards even $20 per hour. Fall River pays crossing guards $10 per hour. In Bridgewater-Raynham, the pay is $14.50 per hour.
...Union President John Talbot defended the custodians' exorbitant crossing-guard pay, saying they were reliable, already have had criminal background checks and - our favorite - are willing to brave the elements to step into the city's busiest streets.
Who wouldn't for $50 per hour?
via @Jeff_Jacoby
I grew up in Brockton, and not surprised at the mismanagement.
Andrew Hall at July 1, 2013 4:37 AM
I am a crossing guard in Texas and don't make close to $10 an hour, let alone $50. I am practally a volunteer! I do it bc I love the kids, but if things get hard maybe I will move to Brockton.
Sheep mommy at July 1, 2013 5:18 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/07/01/why_your_kids_s.html#comment-3779385">comment from Sheep mommyFor $50/hr you should be helping people across the street in a war zone.
Amy Alkon
at July 1, 2013 5:36 AM
For $50/hr, you can ride across the street on my back!
the Strawboss at July 1, 2013 9:32 AM
I was a crossing guard here in Texas for a while, it was really good pay for less than an hour's work a day, but it was no where near that!
momof4 at July 1, 2013 2:47 PM
So would it cost them less to hire crossing guards separately? Paying Janitors a ton might be more cost-effective than hiring more people. It'd be interesting to see the numbers crunched.
NicoleK at July 2, 2013 11:54 AM
Leave a comment