They were paid slightly more than enough to afford average rent for an average unit in San Francisco. They earned it by working overtime. By working more than full time and being compensated according to their employment agreement. The idea that that’s corruption is mind boggling to me. I don’t know whether you just want janitors to be underclass by definition or whether you object to people being compensated for their work, or what could possibly be the problem here.

Personally, I think everyone should be able to afford to live comfortably wherever they are. And I think janitors and other people who do often thankless and grueling work should be compensated substantially more than they are, not less. If it were up to me, no one would have to work overtime to afford average rent where they work so hard already.

It's over double area median income. It's simply not the case that it's just enough to survive or anything like that. Those people could afford to live almost anywhere in the bay area easily.

The part that makes it corruption is that BART is overpaying to pad the pockets of specific more senior members of the union at the expense of less senior members and the public.

To make it concrete, I have a very nice and spacious apartment in a good location in SF. Around 85% of BART employees could easily afford my apartment, based on public data (less than 30% one month pay).

You have a spacious apartment for $2.5K / month in a good location in SF?

$2.5K is on-the-cheaper-side 1 bedroom, no?