Metro

Here’s how the city distributed $1.9B in overtime pay

The city doled out $1.9 billion in overtšŸ…˜ime pay last year, up 4.3 perceą± nt from the year before, new data show.

OT made up 10 to 23 percent of the payroll of many city agencies, according to an analysis by thešŸ… Empire Center for Public Policy, a government watchdog.

ā€œWhen overtime is 20 percent, or even 10 percent of total pay, thatā€™s certainly alarming,ā€ said the groupā€™s executive director, Tim Hoefer. ā€œBudgeting for some overtime is proper financial management, bš’ut as these numbers continue to climb, itā€™s more important that we scrutinize those management practices.ā€

The Board of Elections, which, unlike uniformed agencies, does not respond to š“†emergencies, paid $8.9 million in OT in fiscal year 2017, or 21 percent of its payroll.

That percentage was second only to the Correction Depaā™rtmentā€™s 23 percent in OT, or $278 million, for workers in city jails.

The FDNY was third with 19 percent, or $345.5 mįƒ¦illā­•ion, in OT.

The NYPD shelled out the most OT ā€” $767 million ā€” but the sum represšŸ™ˆented a smaller chunk of its payroll, 14 perceź¦†nt.

A spokesman said that figure includes retroactive OT dueš’Ŗ under unšŸ’Ÿion agreements, and that last yearā€™s OT total was $581 million.

Of that, President Trumpā€™s security accounted for $26 million. The city is seeking feź§™deral reimbursement.

The Department of Trā™‹ansportation paid $65.4 mišŸ­llion in overtime, also 14 percent.

The city launched an investigation into the DOT last year after 32 of its employees collected more than $100,000 each in OT in fiscal 2015. One of them, David Russell, then a supervisor of hiš“”ghway repairers with a $82,000 base salary, took home $274,3šŸˆ52.

But Russell made only $109,500 last fiscal yeaā™›r. The DOT said he was demoted to highway repairer and stripped of supervisory duties.

ā€œDOT monitors overtime throughout the year and continues to implement reductive measures,ā€ said spokesman Są½§cott Gastel.

Maintenance workers haą·“ve cashed in at the Housing Authority, which spent $88 million in OT, or 12 percent oź§’f payroll.

ā€œWeā€™re only able to operate without overtime between 8 a.m. and ź§‘4:30 p.m.,ā€ said spokeswoman Zodet Negron. ā€œWe pay a pā›Žremium for work outside those hours to respond to emergencies.ā€

The Sanitation Department, whišŸŒŒch paid $131.4 million in OT, 14 percent of payroll, blamed Mother šŸ’Nature, citing 13 snow alerts.

ā€œThe department incurred extensive overtime this winter as our wš“†‰orkers fought snow and ice storms ā€” and the eventual challenge of catching up with the tens of thousands of tons of trash and recycling that went uncoš“€llected,ā€ said spokesman Vito Turso.

The DepartmenšŸƒt of Citywide Administrative Services spent $27 millź¦†ion in OT, or 15 percent of payroll. A spokeswoman said ā€œovertime is essentialā€ to keep the DCASā€™s 55 buildings running 24/7.