MTA Workers' Pay Surged As Agency Worked To Fix Subways

NEW YORK — Transit workers raked in lots of extra cash last year as the MTA worked to resuscitate subway service, agency payroll figures show.

The MTA's payroll costs jumped $418 million last year, driven by a nearly 16% spike in overtime payments, according to records compiled and released Monday by the Empire Center, an Albany-based think tank. That's even more money than the MTA expects to make each year from its recently implemented fare and toll hikes, the center says.

New York City Transit — the MTA branch responsible for the city subways and buses — spent $119 million more on overtime last year as its workers' average pay increased to $84,265 from $79,916 the year before, the figures show.

The MTA says it relies on overtime because night and weekend work is necessary to keep the transit system fully running on weekdays and during rush hours. Paying existing workers overtime is also cheaper than hiring additional full-time employees, the agency says.

"Last year the MTA began making record levels of investments to repair, maintain and modernize the entire system, much of it at night to avoid service disruptions, and fortunately it is working, with subway on-time performance at five-year highs and gains across the system as well," Max Young, the MTA's chief external affairs officer, said in a statement.

Two NYC Transit maintenance supervisors had fatter checks than agency President Andy Byford when overtime and other additional pay was accounted for, the figures show. Michael Gunderson earned a total of $379,454 while Anthony Jones made $350,454, outpacing Byford's pay of $325,600.

Thomas Caputo, a former chief measurement operator for the Long Island Rail Road, was the MTA's highest-paid employee last year, earning a total of $461,646 including overtime and other additional compensation, according to the Empire Center.

Caputo, who retired this month after more than three decades with the LIRR, was entitled to more overtime because of his seniority status under his collective bargaining agreement, the MTA says.

The pay figures were released a day after fare and toll hikes hit riders on the subways, buses and commuter railroads. The prices of unlimited MetroCards went up and the pay-per-ride bonus disappeared Sunday under a plan the MTA Board approved in February.

The MTA is trying to cut costs across all of its agencies as it faces a grim financial outlook, according to Young. The transportation authority aims to find more than $2 billion in recurring savings in addition to $500 million in savings next year, he said.

"We’re also undergoing reforms including a forensic audit, consolidation and reorganization, a reduction in construction costs across the system, and ultimately the net savings will be far greater than any investments being made to achieve these major improvements," Young said.