Can Your Job Make You Fat?
The bad news for transit workers is no surprise to Ed Watt, who drove a bus in Brooklyn and Manhattan for 20 years and now serves as the Director of Health and Safety for the Transport Workers Union of America AFL-CIO. It’s a job that leads to higher rates of medical issues for a number of conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic obstructive lung disease, according to information from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
“First the sedentary nature of the work, sitting much of the day with the inability to move around, even for bathroom breaks,” Watt said via email. “The second is the mobile nature of the job leaves poor food choices. So fast food rules.”
“The other factor is that these jobs are highly stressful,” he said. “The stress of the jobs results from high demand and low control over the work. Traffic, people and schedule are all big items that are beyond your control as a driver. As a result of the stress, many are inclined to mal-adaptive coping mechanism.”
The good news, Watt said, is that part of his job is working to make it easier for the transportation workers to lose the top spot on the Gallup list.
Production workers, the game is on.
Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100743271
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Categories: Fat Loss Diary Tags: Ed Watt, Transport Workers Union
More Than a Fat Paycheck: Jobs With Obese Workers
The bad news for transit workers is no surprise to Ed Watt, who drove a bus in Brooklyn and Manhattan for 20 years and now serves as the Director of Health and Safety for the Transport Workers Union of America AFL-CIO. It’s a job that leads to higher rates of medical issues for a number of conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic obstructive lung disease, according to information from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
“First the sedentary nature of the work, sitting much of the day with the inability to move around, even for bathroom breaks,” Watt said via email. “The second is the mobile nature of the job leaves poor food choices. So fast food rules.”
“The other factor is that these jobs are highly stressful,” he said. “The stress of the jobs results from high demand and low control over the work. Traffic, people and schedule are all big items that are beyond your control as a driver. As a result of the stress, many are inclined to mal-adaptive coping mechanism.”
The good news, Watt said, is that part of his job is working to make it easier for the transportation workers to lose the top spot on the Gallup list.
Production workers, the game is on.
Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100743271?__source=yahoonews&par=yahoonews
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Categories: Fat Loss Diary Tags: Ed Watt, Transport Workers Union
MTA fat cats sure can u$ea vacation
Top MTA bosses are cashing in on a contract clause that allows them to exchange unused vacation time for fat, lump-sum payments, according to documents obtained by The Post.
Five agency presidents padded their six-figure salaries by taking advantage of the perk and “selling” back up to 14 days each. The MTA allows managers to roll over an unlimited amount of vacation time from year to year.
Bridges and Tunnels President James Ferrara was the biggest beneficiary in 2011, collecting a cool $17,972.60 on top of his salary of $204,438.26.
Right behind him was subways head Thomas Prendergast, who pocketed an extra $15,894.75 in vacation time in addition to his salary of $295,188.14.
Prendergast also scored a $35,000 “relocation” bonus, which was written into his contract when he moved her from Vancouver in 2009.
With those payments and employer contributions to his 457 pension plan — a 401(k)-type fund for government workers — Prendergast earned $368,082.79 last year. He was the agency’s second-highest-paid employee after former CEO Jay Walder.
The only MTA agency president who did not get paid for unused vacation was Michael Horodniceanu, who heads capital-construction projects like the Second Avenue Subway.
It’s unclear if he wasn’t entitled to the perk, or just declined to use it.
Unlike many private-sector companies, MTA managers at all levels are allowed to carry over vacation time, which can be paid out when they retire.
Employees at the agency for longer than 15 years can cash in 52 days upon retirement, while those with between eight and 14 years can get paid for 48 days. Workers with between one and seven years can take home pay for 40 unused vacation days.
Before 2011, only senior management, such as agency presidents, were allowed to get paid for unused time prior to retirement.
Last year, that perk became available to all nonunion employees. The payments do not factor into their pensions.
MTA managers are now in their fourth year without a raise, while their unionized underlings have gotten annual bumps for the past three years.
In 2011, the Transport Workers Union snagged a 3 percent pay hike for its workers. That comes on top of 2.5 percent pay hikes in 2009 and 2010.
jennifer.fermino@nypost.com
Article source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mta_fat_cats_sure_can_vacation_035zXoU8NxEKKaLPJjsePM
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Categories: Fat Loss Diary Tags: Michael Horodniceanu, MTA, Second Avenue Subway, Transport Workers Union