People don't perceive subway and bus workers as massively compensated.
Well, the Bloomberg-Murdoch gang was certainly trying to convince everyone that they were. Are you saying nobody bought it?
> It's hard, often dirty work, and no one pulls down six figures for it.
It depends on the job; I imagine operating a train or sitting in a token booth is somewhat cushier than most assembly-line positions, although I have no personal experience with any of it.
"[N]o one"? Are you positive? Because while I'm not sure about the MTA, I once campaigned briefly for municipal bus drivers in Ohio, and some of them did. (Seniority and overtime can add up quickly when one's pension is based on the last few years of earnings and there are hours to be had.) I would be surprised if their New York counterparts get a rawer deal.
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."