New York City

Queens DA, U.S. Attorney Looking into Alleged Overtime Abuses at MTA: Sources

Some employees of the transit authority were said to be making hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime alone

What to Know

  • The Queens district attorney and the U.S. attorney's office are looking into alleged overtime abuses by MTA employees
  • Some employees of the transit authority were said to be making hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime alone
  • The MTA said it spent more than $1 billion in overtime alone

The Queens district attorney and the U.S. attorney's office are looking into alleged overtime abuses by MTA employees, a source close to the investigation tells NBC New York.

The MTA board held an emergency meeting on May 10 in an attempt to crack down on the rampant overtime payouts. An audit showed a surge in overtime payments, especially to Long Island Rail Road employees.

The MTA said it has spent more than $1 billion in overtime alone.

In a statement, the Queens District Attorney said they have "met with and are in consultation with the MTA Inspector General's Office."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office declined to comment.

Some employees of the transit authority were said to be making hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime alone. A report found some LIRR employees, who made a regular salary of $100,000 a year, making as much as $300,000 in overtime.

One employee of the LIRR claimed to log 74 hours of overtime every week in addition to his regular hours, according to a report by the New York Times. He claims to have made  more than $460,000 last year, which would be more than Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio make combined.

The Tranpsort Workers Union said it had not been made aware of any specific allegations of overtime fraud within New York City Transit, and didn't know about a federal investigation of the NYCT, according to a statement from TWU International President John Samuelsen.

Overtime spending at the MTA has been an issue for quite some time, with critics pointing at Gov. Cuomo — who is in charge of the agency — for not curtailing it sooner.

Contact Us