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Thursday, June 18, 2020

Pennsylvania Turnpike Goes Cashless and Lays Off Hundreds

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission unanimously voted to replace 492 human workers with all-electronic systems. The commission says the layoffs will save nearly $100 million over the next two years.

(TNS) — A labor union that represents toll booth workers plans to take legal action against the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission after it unanimously voted to lay off nearly 500 employees despite a contract that assured employment through January 2022, according to Teamsters International Vice President-East William Hamilton.

“This was nothing more than a premeditated hit,” Hamilton said during a public hearing with the state Senate Transportation and Labor & Industry committees on Monday. “The facts are we had an agreement. I sat in on the agreement when it was finalized.”

Republicans and Democrats on the committees hammered members of the state turnpike commission with criticism over their decision, some accusing the commission of using the pandemic as a justifiable reason to make the last-minute transition to all-electronic tolling.

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17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Democrats give you a sniff of $15/hr, then take the jobs away. Walmart is getting rid of ALL Cashiers and Royal Farms is doing it right now.

Anonymous said...

Today it remains all about the Benjamin's regardless of the casualties.

Anonymous said...

Financially smart move, these employees were overpaid and cost the state thousands in health care and benefits. Keep voting Democrat PA, morons.

Anonymous said...

What happened to the bay bridge toll workers..in case you did nt know. There is only 4 toll boths left to go before there all gone.toll collectors been gone since they finished construction

Anonymous said...

Love your cashless crap now??? Its going global, trust me!!!! You don't want cashless, then you will have mark of the beast, all digital and can't buy or do squat... Look a china, they have some system where they track you and everything about you and score you and if you have low scores, you can't buy or sell or do anything, you are like an outcast!!!! When it goes all digital, they can control you and all of your info, and hackers can get to it to!!!! But I guess we will have to wait until it is to late and then you will see!!

Anonymous said...

They should ban Pennsylvania drivers period. They are the world’s worst!,

Anonymous said...

Going cashless sets the world up for a world leader.

Anonymous said...

The PA turnpike is private.

Anonymous said...

You would think those toll workers (especially older or unhealthy ones) wouldn't want all that contact with dirty cash and out of state travelers. The state of PA is probably saving them from catching COVID.

Anonymous said...

The union will corner the state with the contract language and each laid off worker will get a sizable severance package for wage and benefits to January 2022. After that date, the state can start to count its savings.

Anonymous said...

Food Lion on Tilghman Road only had two registers open. One for 20 items or less and one for full service. The rest was for self checkout.
If I have a full cart full of groceries, I'll be damned if I'm going through self checkout!!! It's bad customer service as well!

Walmart is also getting to be the same way. Less full service, and more and more self checkout and lines are still long and down the isles!

Anonymous said...

949, believe the Bay Bridge Toll employees were offered opportunities within the State gov't.

Anonymous said...

Imagine all the saved unfunded liability.

Anonymous said...

If you don’t might traveling because it was any where available in the state doing any job. So you could be sweeping floors at a high school inner city Baltimore.

Anonymous said...

Stop buying Chinese goods from Walmart.
ITS ALL FROM CHINA.

Anonymous said...

One for then in the bag, one for me in the bag. Botta bing, botta boom. And out the I went, see ya

Anonymous said...

good, I hope they go bankrupt. Traffic is down? Gee, I wonder why. Maybe always raising tolls, rude workers, always a speed trap somewhere, not wanting truckers to sleep in rest areas, etc. Pick one or make your own.

It was owned by a foreign country. Don't know who owns it now.