Public-sector union fail: Driver in Chicago escalator train crash had fallen asleep before

CTA Yellow Line train

Amazingly, no one was killed when a Chicago Transit Authority el train ended up near the top of an escalator at the end of the line at O'Hare Airport. It appears that the operator of the train fell asleep.

But get this: The CTA employee had fallen asleep behind the switch once before--just just last month. Was she fired? Nope, she only received a written warning.

Ugh, gotta hate those government unions.

From the Chicago Tribune:

To discipline or fire an employee, experts say the collective bargaining process generally calls for filing charges against an employee, and a "due process" hearing at which the employee and union get to make their case. If the employee is terminated, the firing can be appealed to a labor board.

The train operator, who has not been identified, is a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308. The operator was hired by the CTA last April, was sent for training in October. She qualified for operating trains in January, Turpin said.

Oh, here is the video of the crash, which of course has gone viral.

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