BOSTON (WHDH) - As the MBTA tries to privatize its fare collection system, a photo was released showing an employee sprawled facedown on the floor of their money room.
In the picture, the employee is seen on the floor while cash is scattered on a nearby table. The photo was taken back in February. The MBTA said the incident was never investigated and the worker was never identified.
The MBTA called the photo “troubling” and released a statement saying, “…there is no logical reason for a transit system to be in the cash-handling business.”
Currently, the fare collecting is handled by the Boston Carmen’s union, which counts $142 million a year in the money room. The Carmen’s union would not comment on the picture, saying the employee lying down is definitely not one of its members. A spokesperson for the union speculates the person is a T manager or supervisor.
The union is fighting the state’s effort to outsource the fare counting work. Thursday, the union released a statement saying the state’s push is “nothing more than a distraction from the fact that they have failed to make the necessary investments to provide more reliable service to riders and overhaul management.”
The Carmen’s union said it may go to court if the MBTA does not come to the negotiating table on this. The MBTA said it expects to have a proposed contract for the cash handling operations next month.
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