You could have had at least a dozen more cops
Quote of note:
The authority's director of labor relations, Gary J. Dellaverson, defended the practice, saying overtime can be cheaper than hiring additional officers. "What you want to avoid through the use of overtime is surplus," he said.
Can be cheaper…but it certainly isn't in this case.
M.T.A. Spent $15 Million on Officers' Overtime
By SEWELL CHAN
he Metropolitan Transportation Authority paid a third of its police officers more than $100,000 last year, and in some cases officers doubled and even tripled their base salaries by working overtime, according to the authority's payroll records.
At the top of the list of 212 officers whose compensation totaled more than $100,000 in 2003 was Lt. Francis P. Zaino, who made $204,859 on a base salary of $86,705. Another lieutenant, Thomas G. Nutter, was paid $199,037, more than double his base salary of $85,708. By that measure, Officer John Wu did even better. He was paid $196,234, more than three times his $61,102 base.
All three earned more than the official in charge of daily operations for the subways, Michael A. Lombardi, a senior vice president at New York City Transit. His total compensation last year was $181,796.
The authority's extensive use of overtime shifts is not just a one-time expense; it can add significantly to the authority's pension costs for years to come. Police pensions are based on a formula that takes into account total pay, including overtime, in the last five years of service. Officers are eligible for pensions after 20 years. Lieutenant Zaino has 24 years on the force, while Lieutenant Nutter and Officer Wu joined the force in 1985 and can retire next year with pensions that factor in their 2003 overtime.
The amount of police overtime - $15.1 million last year - has raised concerns about the oversight of spending by the authority, whose board is expected to vote on Thursday to raise subway, bus and commuter rail fares for the second time in less than two years. Both Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the state comptroller, Alan G. Hevesi, have called for tighter controls and greater efficiency in spending by the transit system.
