Talk about work ethic

[Guest]

A Detroit man walks 21 miles every day, just to make it to his factory job.

James Robertson, 56, has been hitting the road five days a week by foot and partly by bus for the past decade to make the 23-mile trip to Rochester Hills, Mich., the Detroit Free Press reported.

Robertson started hoofing it to work when his 1988 Honda Accord broke down. The soft-spoken man, who has a perfect attendance record, never complains.

“I set our attendance standard by this man,” said his boss, Todd Wilson, plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering. “I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I’ll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can’t get here — bull!”

The hardy road warrior — who stays awake by drinking copious amounts of Coke and Mountain Dew — starts his shift by stopping at the office to chat about sports. Wilson treats his trusty worker to dinner every day — courtesy of his wife’s Southern cuisine.

“I sleep a lot on the weekend, yes I do,” Robertson said. “I can’t imagine not working.”

He earns $10.55 an hour, well above Michigan’s minimum wage of $8.15 an hour. But that’s still not enough to buy, maintain and insure a car in the Motor City.

His commute home is particularly daunting.

At the end of the injection molder’s 2-10 p.m. shift, Robertson embarks on the marathon trip in the dark. He can rarely catch a ride because none of his co-workers live anywhere near him.

Instead, he walks 7 miles from the factory to a bus stop at a mall in Troy.

“I keep a rhythm in my head,” he said of his trek to the mall.

At the mall, he catches the last bus of the day, just before 1 a.m., and rides it to Detroit, as far as it goes. He then walks the rest of the way — about 5 miles — to the home he shares with his girlfriend.

Robertson said faith helps him get through the hardships.

 

The next day, he added, “I should’ve told you there’s another thing: determination.”Robertson said he was unaware of the Job Access and Reverse Commute program, funded in part with federal dollars, that provides door-to-door transportation to low-income workers, albeit at a cost.“We are very much trying to get James a vehicle,” said Wilson, the plant manager. “If I can get away, I’ll pick him up. But James won’t get in just anybody’s car. He likes his independence

 

Video here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/detroit-man-walks-21-miles-work-new-car-article-1.2100320

 

 

 

 

Well fuck me, that guy is 10 times the man I am.

 

Luckily they funded him so hard http://www.gofundme.com/l7girc

 

With 244.000 dollars he can get a nice car and pay it's gas etc.

e.”

[Laputacake]

Dont judge me :'(. This man deserves something.

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I have to get my on ketchup from the fridge, my mom doesn't get it for me anymore.

[Guest]

I have to get my on ketchup from the fridge, my mom doesn't get it for me anymore.

Holy shit, you okay dude?

[Real_PhillBert]

Smells fishy. Why would you not buy a $50 bicycle?

[Guest]

Smells fishy. Why would you not buy a $50 bicycle?

Maybe he just doesn't have the funds.

 

Besides, a 50 dollar bicycle is bound to break soon or have other problems\

 

A good high quality bicycle yes,

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Holy shit, you okay dude?

No, I need someone to buy me several ketchup bottles that I can leave around me so I don't have to walk to the fridge

[Kamina]

It's like walking is some disease to Americans.

[Kyuubixchidori]

Smells fishy. Why would you not buy a $50 bicycle?

ever ride a bike in snow?

 

that and its in detroit. downtown detroit is 100% fine, but working out in the factory, or by his home, he wouldnt make it past his first shift before it was stolen. 

 

edit: Rochester isnt to bad. Probably be fine. by his home is where itd be the worst. 

Look up the insurance rates for cars in Detroit. then you'll know why He didn't just buy a new one. 

[Guest]

It's like walking is some disease to Americans.

Yeah but 21 miles is a bit overkill  O_0

[Guest]

ever ride a bike in snow?

 

that and its in detroit. downtown detroit is 100% fine, but working out in the factory, or by his home, he wouldnt make it past his first shift before it was stolen. 

LOL. Well I suppose that could be a reason.

[Kamina]

Yeah but 21 miles is a bit overkill  O_0

3rd world countries walk miles to gather livestock and misc to gain pennies. 

 

The guy should seriously get a bike though or use that gofundme to buy himself a 10-20k car.

[Guest]

3rd world countries walk miles to gather livestock and misc to gain pennies. 

 

The guy should seriously get a bike though or use that gofundme to buy himself a 10-20k car.

Yeah but we aren't  3 world countries.

 

Still, the man is 56 years old.

[VincentC]

56 years old and can't afford to fix his car; something doesn't sound right with his story and his life.

[thekeemo]

Wages seriously need to go up theyve been falling since 1970 (after compensation for inflation) while the executive wages have exponentially grown

[Guest]

56 years old and can't afford to fix his car; something doesn't sound right with his story and his life.

Pretty sure he can't afford it.

 

A factory job? Come on. He has a girlfriend and a home to keep.

[Imabigmac]

56 years old and can't afford to fix his car; something doesn't sound right with his story and his life.

drugs?

[MLGNOSCOPEHEADSHOTGETREKT]

Bruh,

I gatta fill up my own cups with water

I don't got no automatic water filling cups

[Real_PhillBert]

ever ride a bike in snow?

that and its in detroit. downtown detroit is 100% fine, but working out in the factory, or by his home, he wouldnt make it past his first shift before it was stolen.

edit: Rochester isnt to bad. Probably be fine. by his home is where itd be the worst.

Look up the insurance rates for cars in Detroit. then you'll know why He didn't just buy a new one.

I have ridden a bike in the snow, I live in ND lol.

I didn't say a single word about a car...

[Kyuubixchidori]

I have ridden a bike in the snow, I live in ND lol.

I didn't say a single word about a car...

yeah, but this is a 56 year old man. if he slid on ice and fell, hed more then likely break something. when your living in his situation, He literally cant afford a injury. 

 

oh, that wasnt directed at you. a lot of people would say why not just buy a cheap used car, he makes enough. the thing is insurance is crazy in detroit. so that wasnt at you, just in general. 

http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2014/02/detroit_has_highest_car_insura.html

annual premium average is 10K, second place and third are at 4K. 

[Trik'Stari]

drugs?

Taxes more like

[Levent]

I think i've seen this on jalopnik this week I am surprised that nobody did a V8 swap on his broken civic yet.