MTA’s $7.8B payroll, $75M overtime payments hit record highs: watchdog

The MTA’s payroll reached a record-high $7.8 billion last year, according to the fiscal watchdog group Empire Center for Public Policy.

The state agency’s total payroll surged $663 million, or 9%, in 2023, while its overtime spending leapt $75 million, or 6%, to a total $1.37 billion.

The previous record was in 2018, when overtime clocked in at $1.35 billion.

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In all, 724 MTA employees each earned more than $100,000 in overtime in 2023, the Empire Center said.

Of the MTA’s eight subsidiaries, Long Island Rail Road’s employees raked in the highest per-worker overtime, averaging $26,028 in 2023, the Empire Center found.

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In addition, the agency’s subsidiaries shelled out $261 million in retroactive pay, Empire Center determined using payroll records.

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MTA spokesperson Joana Flores said the agency’s “overall budget is down in real dollars compared to prior years.”

She also defended the agency’s overtime.

“The MTA is providing a ton more service with record on-time performance, and overtime, which is authorized in accordance with collective bargaining agreements, is a strategic tool used to keep trains running and the system safe,” Flores said.

“That strategy has paid off — crime is down and on-time performance has surged, with schedules that include a substantially higher number of trains.”

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