The article directly compares the NY subway project to a french one, and finds that it was cheaper and had a quarter of the staffing. So since we've established

The article directly compares the NY subway project to a french one, and finds that it was cheaper and had a quarter of the staffing. So since we've established time and money is not being wasted by not employing 4x the people, all you have to do is check and see if French public construction is more dangerous than the US, and you'll know if elevator operators and underground break room guards are important safety roles. In the public sector, unions and engineering firms/management contractors are not at odds as they are in the private sector, they collaborate to rip off the public.