BAKER’S OVERTIME PROBLEM SWELLS
Gov. Charlie Baker has a festering overtime problem.
The first-term Republican is facing a rash of swollen OT in key state agencies including the MBTA and the state police — areas already under scrutiny as Baker gears up for re-election.
But a new trouble spot could be the Department of Transportation, where many Pike holdovers earn more than $100,000 in overtime.
One stunning example is highway maintenance supervisor Edward McCarthy, who has pocketed more than $100,000 in overtime annually since 2013. His total 2017 salary was $270,320, according to state comptroller records.
State officials argued that McCarthy racks up overtime responding to highway emergencies on nights and weekends — but the former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority employee also made Boston Herald headlines in 2008 for his hefty overtime haul working as a “sign hanger.”
The Authority was eliminated in 2009, but McCarthy moved to the highway department and continued collecting eye-popping overtime. His highest annual overtime payout was $195,000 in 2015 for a total salary of $296,712, and his lowest was $74,031 in 2010 when he made $156,553 in total pay, according to state comptroller records.
“Mr. McCarthy is a MassDOT Highway Maintenance Supervisor responsible for organizing and directing crews for scheduled maintenance activities and, on occasion, emergency activities predominately in the Metropolitan Highway System,” said DOT spokeswoman Jaclyn Goddard in a statement.
“The Highway Division continues to review and address the use of employee overtime to reduce costs,” said Goddard. While costs remain high, MassDOT reduced overtime costs from $35.6 million in 2016 to $33 million in 2017.
The scandal-plagued Massachusetts State Police has also faced escalating overtime payouts — nearly $50 million in 2017, up from $46 million in 2016.
Attorney General Maura Healey and state police announced last month they’re looking into payroll discrepancies, including alleged fraudulent overtime use, according to a release from spokesman David Procopio.
State police authorities suspended trooper Eric Chin, the highest paid trooper in 2015 and 2016 thanks to overtime, last April as part of “an investigation into payroll discrepancies uncovered during an ongoing internal audit.”
Meanwhile, overtime costs at the MBTA also surged last year as commuters face potential fare hikes, frustrating delays and even derailments. MBTA employees collected $72.2 million in overtime in 2017 as opposed to $64.2 million in 2016, according to MBTA figures released Feb. 17.