Report: MTA Chairman Orders Crackdown On Overtime Abuse

NEW YORK (WBCS 880) — MTA Chairman Pat Foye has reportedly ordered a crackdown on overtime abuse by Long Island Rail Road employees.

The news comes after the Empire Center for Public Policy found one subway maintenance workertook home $379,000 in salary and overtime, $50,000 more than transit president Andy Byford earns.

Foye said much of the overtime is for those who work nights and weekends to minimize service disruptions and pledged to rein in costs.

Now, a source tells the New York Post that the MTA is going to “aggressively look for creative ways to control overtime and address instances of overtime abuse.”

The probe will also examine possible safety and discrimination concerns related to overtime payments, according to the report.

State Sen. Kevin Thomas said he was shocked and bewildered when he saw that one LIRR worker made about $334,000 just last year. 

"We had hearings with the MTA leadership and we talked to them about mismanaging money, and here we are again," Thomas said. 

The Empire Center says overtime costs at the LIRR have gone up more than $115 million since 2013.

Both Democrats like Thomas and Republicans like state Sen. Phil Boyle are on the same page.

"We're going to hold hearings hopefully to find out what's been going on, what kind of mismanagement has been taking place," Boyle said.

He said it speaks to larger cultural problems within the agency.

"There always needs to be some overtime, but 3,864 hours of overtime by one person in one year is unconscionable," he said.