Straphangers Outraged By MTA's $600M Overtime Bill
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Subway riders facing service cuts and fare hikes are in an uproar over a new state audit that found the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's overtime costs have soared.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's audit found that the MTA's overtime costs rose 26 percent since 2005 to almost $600 million last year.
DiNapoli says most of the overtime was unjustified or for undocumented work.
More than 140 MTA workers had overtime earnings that exceeded their regular earnings last year.
Riders say the agency is simply mismanaged.
"It's just unfair. A lot of budget cuts, I don't know. The money, wherever the money is going, they need to put it in the right place," said a commuter.
"I would like [to double my pay in overtime], maybe I should work for the MTA," said another.
MTA officials said in a statement that they are aware of the problem and have been trying to reduce unnecessary overtime.
The agency used the occasion to again urge the unions to be more flexible in helping to reduce costs.