# Jesus Fucking Christ. A NJ toll collector can earn $31.58 an hour?!?!? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 24, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412 "2011-02-24T03:04:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/1 "2011-02-24T03:04:48Z")
holy shit. Just reading that makes me want to fly out to Wisconsin and pat Scott Walker on the back. That is just fucking insane. Just think about this for a minute. 32 bucks an hour to collect a ticket, stick it in a machine, ask for a sum, receive said sum, and maybe make change. > [@](#): > > Among the union proposals are a 3.5-percent pay cut and elimination of 100 collecting jobs through retirements and transfers. Also, for new hires the top of the pay scale would be $25.53 an hour (about $53,100 a year), down from $31.58 hourly (about $65,700 a year). [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj\_toll\_booth\_collectors\_rally.html](http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_toll_booth_collectors_rally.html) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/2 "2011-02-24T03:10:05Z")
What proportion of toll collectors make it to the top pay grade, do you suppose? ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/3 "2011-02-24T03:12:38Z")
probably all of them. I seriously, seriously doubt the job has a merit-based payscale. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/4 "2011-02-24T03:19:09Z")
Probably has a time-in-service payscale, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/5 "2011-02-24T03:20:04Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Probably has a time-in-service payscale, though. yes, which coupled with presumably strong union protections as to job tenure, would ensure that all of them would be given the opportunity to max out their hourly wage. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/6 "2011-02-24T03:20:41Z")
breathing all that vehicle exhaust. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/7 "2011-02-24T03:21:06Z")
Frankly, should I care how long you’ve been doing that nonskilled job after a certain point? I have a masters’ degree. I make about 42,000 a year and with the budget as it is do not see a raise in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/8 "2011-02-24T03:26:50Z")
[From this page.](http://www.nycroads.com/roads/nj-turnpike/) > [@](#): > > NEW TOLLS, NEW PROJECTS: On September 30, 2000, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority implemented one of the first variable toll systems in the nation at all of the turnpike’s toll plazas. The new EZ-Pass system uses variable demand pricing so that motorists using the turnpike during non-peak hours may do so at reduced rates. > > That year, **the authority also floated more than $1.4 billion in debt for new construction projects**. The projects are listed from south to north as follows: And you worry about the wages of the toll takers? Very small drop in a very large bucket. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/9 "2011-02-24T03:30:04Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > [From this page.](http://www.nycroads.com/roads/nj-turnpike/) > > And you worry about the wages of the toll takers? Very small drop in a very large bucket. I’m not so sure why you think debt financing activities for construction projects are relevant :rolleyes: The agency runs massive surpluses yet still needs to obtain credit to fund infrastructure. As does any business. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/10 "2011-02-24T03:30:14Z")
What a crisis that some working class jobs can keep a family out of poverty, at least for now. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/11 "2011-02-24T03:34:48Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > holy shit. Just reading that makes me want to fly out to Wisconsin and pat Scott Walker on the back. That is just fucking insane. > > Just think about this for a minute. 32 bucks an hour to collect a ticket, stick it in a machine, ask for a sum, receive said sum, and maybe make change. You left out “make change for literally hundreds of motorists per day, all in seconds so no 1 gets pissed off and shoots me since I’m trapped in a little room with tons of steel whizzing past me all day while I breath exhaust fumes.” Hey, the money is good. If you think that’s a better job than whatever it is you do for money now, go apply. Go get that job. You won’t be fighting me for it, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/12 "2011-02-24T03:39:51Z")
Doing an unfailingly repetetive job for hours on end and dealing with all the assholes allowed to drive vehicles? Hell, sounds fair enough to me. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/13 "2011-02-24T03:40:59Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > I’m not so sure why you think debt financing activities for construction projects are relevant :rolleyes: > > The agency runs massive surpluses yet still needs to obtain credit to fund infrastructure. As does any business. And if they run massive surpluses, why can’t some of it go to the workers? And that debt gets paid back through tolls. Bitching that someone at the low end of the job totem pole is making a decent wage is petty. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/14 "2011-02-24T03:42:27Z")
looks like a good place to install automated toll booths. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/15 "2011-02-24T03:44:19Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > holy shit. Just reading that makes me want to fly out to Wisconsin and pat Scott Walker on the back. That is just fucking insane. What’s insane is that it doesn’t make you want to go apply for the job. Seriously. 32 bucks an hour to collect a ticket, stick it in a machine, ask for a sum, receive said sum, and maybe make change. Sweet. Why wouldn’t you want it? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/16 "2011-02-24T05:12:33Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Frankly, should I care how long you’ve been doing that nonskilled job after a certain point? I have a masters’ degree. I make about 42,000 a year and with the budget as it is do not see a raise in the near future. Then why not apply for one of those toll collector jobs? With enough applicants, they might not feel the need to pay so much. You know how much a garbageman makes? A sewer worker? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/17 "2011-02-24T05:15:37Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > looks like a good place to install automated toll booths. A lot of them (maybe even most) are automated. The NJ turnpike was probably one of the first places to get EZPASS. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/18 "2011-02-24T05:29:29Z")
$31 per hour for a toll collector and they go after the classroom teachers? Isn’t that like looking for a lost wallet under the light rather than in the alley it was lost? ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/19 "2011-02-24T08:02:19Z")
My Dad was a toll collector for a brief period during the '70’s recession (despite having a degree in chemical engineering). He said it was the worst job he’d ever had-- worse than the stint involving roofing tar. It’s broiling in the summer, freezing in the winter, surprisingly filthy, full of assholes and mind-numbingly boring. It’s 8 hours alone in a box on a highway, where you get to play chicken with cars every time you want to piss. The money was good, but he jumped at the first job he could get to get away from it. I got the impression it’s kind of like garbage collection-- it’s an unpleasant job with no other redeeming qualities, paying people well is the only way to keep it staffed, assuming you don’t want call-center turn over. (And because it involves money, you can’t go to the other solution for “staffing jobs that suck”, illegal immigrants) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412/20 "2011-02-24T08:19:12Z")
While I agree with other posters it is a shit job $60,000/year (roughly) seems excessive. I am all for a living wage but frankly half that would seem generous. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-fucking-christ-a-nj-toll-collector-can-earn-31-58-an-hour/572412.md?page=2)