Highest-paid MTA employee made $344,000 in overtime last year, as rider fares jump

[lightbright]

Overtime pay at the agency running New York City's transit is going off the rails. As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is railroaded by stalled schedules, busted budgets and a fare hike for riders, the agency paid its workers $418 million in overtime last year — including more than $344,000 for a single employee.

A study released Tuesday by the fiscal watchdog Empire Center said the MTA's overtime rose nearly 16 percent in 2018. The $418 million in overtime it paid last year is $82 million more than MTA expects to raise each year from its latest round of price hikes for customers.

The MTA operates New York's subways and buses, in addition to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Metro-North Railroad and Staten Island Railway.

A database of employee pay shows that, with overtime, 20 workers earned more last year than Andy Byford, who oversees the entire New York City Transit Authority. Thomas Caputo, chief measurement operator for the LIRR, received $344,146.93 in overtime on top of his $117,499 salary, bringing his total compensation to $461,646.

It's not clear how many overtime hours Caputo clocked or what his overtime pay rate is. The database lists his regular rate of pay as $54 an hour.

The database shows that most of the MTA's top earners cleared more than $320,000 in 2018 and work for the LIRR. This came during the year that saw the LIRR's worst on-time performance rates in 19 years.

By comparison, Byford earned $313,468 last year — which is less than his listed pay rate of $325,600.

MTA chairman Patrick Foye said some of the overtime came from repairs that are done on nights and weekends to help the system's crumbling infrastructure. But he said the MTA had hired an outside consultant to help find $500 million in savings by the end of 2020. "We're committed to reducing expenses at the MTA across the board," Foye told CBS New York. "We can and must do better." The database says Foye received $347,707, meaning the chairman wasn't even in the top 10 earners.

The watchdog report comes after the MTA rolled out another round of fare hikes. On Sunday, the agency raised the price of weekly MetroCards in New York City from $30 to $33, while monthly passes increased from $121 to $127. LIRR weekly tickets jumped to $5.75 and monthly tickets to $15. Tolls on many bridges and tunnels also increased about by 36 cents.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-yo...-agency-mta-paid-one-worker-344k-in-overtime/

 

[lightbright]

How some MTA employees are cashing in big time

The MTA spent nearly $1 billion on overtime last year — with a chunk of it going to a handful of workers, new data shows.

Eight employees alone combined to make roughly $1.6 million of the $971 million in overtime in 2016, according to data analyzed by the Empire Center.

Each of the lucky eight workers raked in some $200,000 over their base pay, leaving transit advocates upset that so much is being spent on an OT windfall instead of transit upgrades.

“If they had better control over the overtime, money could be spent to improve and add service and get better control over delays,” said Gene Russianoff, who is senior attorney for the Straphangers Campaign.

Long Island Rail Road track foreman Ralph Golden earned the most overtime of any MTA employee, taking home an additional $256,155 on top of his base pay for a total of $360,978, the figures show.

With the OT, Golden earned $14,271 more than then-MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast, who retired in January.

Two other track foremen — Joseph Ruzzo and Joseph Biondo — also made more money in 2016 than the head honcho.

Golden, who made $70,455 more than he did in 2015, declined to comment on his earnings.

MTA officials claim the workers who make that kind of money are very specifically trained, and the MTA would spend more money paying more workers if it weren’t paying that cash in overtime.

“Many of the jobs listed are highly specialized, can’t be performed by entry-level employees and are essential to operating a transportation network around-the-clock, every day of the year,” said MTA spokeswoman Beth DeFalco.

DeFalco added that the MTA has managed to cut more than $1.6 billion in annual expenses since 2010.

However, not all of those raking in tens of thousands in overtime are specialized employees.

At least 19 station and train cleaners scored more than $50,000 in overtime least year to each make at least $107,000 when their base pay was around $56,000.

In the LIRR, Metro-North, and Bridge and Tunnel divisions, the average OT rose more than the total, meaning that fewer employees took home a larger chunk of the extra cash, said Empire Center officials.

https://nypost.com/2017/05/01/how-some-mta-employees-are-cashing-in-big-time/

 

[AwwSchitt]

Damn.. They hiring?

 

[Mixd]

Never knew LIRR was a part of MTA, never really thought about it.

BUT, the biggest thing, they don't report which is another abuse is LODI, which is Line Of Duty Injury. Not sure if they have changed their policy. But maybe half of their workforce used to spend their time milking the system for a year at a time with minor BS injuries like a sprain or something and complain about it and their internal docs can allow them to take off a year, as long as they are home between like 8a to 5p or something like that and make weekly or bi-weekly visits to their internal docs.

Don't think anyone talks or speaks on that. But I've seen it first hand.

 

[clitsational]

cacs invented welfare

but for themselves

ONLY

just like healthcare they will fight to the death before they let anyone else benefit

​

 

[Ceenote]

Nice money...cant get madd at that

 

[Star]

You retire after 20+ years ... 50% of your Last two years pay... It is known that during your Last two years You just do Not go home, You stay at work on the books. Very Common and expected by those around you. Nothing New to see here

 

[lightbright]

Never knew LIRR was a part of MTA, never really thought about it.

BUT, the biggest thing, they don't report which is another abuse is LODI, which is Line Of Duty Injury. Not sure if they have changed their policy. But maybe half of their workforce used to spend their time milking the system for a year at a time with minor BS injuries like a sprain or something and complain about it and their internal docs can allow them to take off a year, as long as they are home between like 8a to 5p or something like that and make weekly or bi-weekly visits to their internal docs.

Don't think anyone talks or speaks on that. But I've seen it first hand.

Over the years cacs be putting a lot of shit in their contracts ….. sliding shit in …. and as long as everyone keeps their mouths shut ….. Kaching …. $$$$$$
I'll tell you something else about line of duty injuries ….. they can keep recurring as long as you reopen the injury before two years lapses … a mofo at my job used to go out every year for a shoulder injury when it came time to inspect fire hydrants …. that's why when you sue work mans comp ($$$$) for your injury, the majority of the time agreeing not to sue for the same injury again is part of the settlement. I'm going to work mans comp next week for an $11k settlement ….

​

cacs invented welfare
but for themselves
ONLY​

​

just like healthcare they will fight to the death before they let anyone else benefit​

​

​

​

​

​

Oh they don't like it when us blacks on the job gain from shit …. believe you me on that … then they try to end it …. even if it means they lose out too !!!


.


.

 

[mcguyver]

Not to mention their 3-4hr lunch breaks.

 

[blackbull1970]

Stories like this they put in the file cabinet and use it as justification to privatize the NYC MTA.

The day they privatize and bust that union, the GOP will lose their minds. They wanna bust those NYC Unions. It’s on their bucket lists.

 

[Mrfreddygoodbud]

all fuckin city jobs the workers get over.. you think the nypd any worse..

they had school janitors clearing six fiqures with overtime easily..

aaannnnd this was damn near two decades ago..

you get a city job in nyc.. you aint doing bad at all.. perks are pretty cool too..

it aint fuckin with the private sector and blue chip companies...but its a great safety net..

 

[gene cisco]

all fuckin city jobs the workers get over.. you think the nypd any worse..

they had school janitors clearing six fiqures with overtime easily..

aaannnnd this was damn near two decades ago..

you get a city job in nyc.. you aint doing bad at all.. perks are pretty cool too..

it aint fuckin with the private sector and blue chip companies...but its a great safety net..

It's like that here too. Shit is sickening. Families putting folks on and gaming the fuck out the system. Then the politicians cry broke. That's why I hate them fucks with a passion. They stay getting fleeced for tax dollars and want to come back more.

 

[Mrfreddygoodbud]

It's like that here too. Shit is sickening. Families putting folks on and gaming the fuck out the system. Then the politicians cry broke. That's why I hate them fucks with a passion. They stay getting fleeced for tax dollars and want to come back more.

anything to do with the govt is a fuckin mess.. and its like the purposely so folks can keep getting over.

the mta is always raising fares.. and a year from now they are going to be like.

Oh LOOKY HERE we FOUND some EXCESSS money...

trains will still be running far from its best.. and the execs will still be getting chauffered to and from work...

if you think THATS bad.. dude you should see how the fuckin military and law enfarcement just blows through money..

if we watched and micro manage them on some big brother shit.. listen and watch everything they do..

there wouldve been a united revolution in this country..