Hub cops tops among city’s pay
Overtime totals soar past $100 million mark
City workers pulled in nearly $1.6 billion in 2017 and overtime costs soared from $99.9 million to $106.9 million because of huge events like the Women’s March, city officials said.
The payroll increased about $11 million, or 1 percent, over last year’s. Ten employees made more than $300,000, and more than 500 made more than $200,000.
But workers earning more than $100,000 also declined from 2016, going from 6,300 to 6,119, and individual earnings were not as high as last year, which saw one police detective make more than $400,000. The city’s top earner last year was Boston police Capt. Haseeb Hosein, who raked in $366,233 — getting $106,980 in detail work and $62,696 in overtime to more than double his salary of $146,893.
The highest-salaried employee was Superintendent Tommy Chang, who made $264,660 — while Mayor Martin J. Walsh continued to pull a salary of $175,000.
But because of their ability to augment their salaries with details and overtime, police once again dominated the city’s top earners, with 10 earning more than $300,000 — a decrease from 2016, when 22 made more than $300,000.
Police also saw a boost in Quinn Bill pay, which gives salary increases of up to 25 percent when police receive law enforcement degrees. Those payments jumped from $18.8 million to $20.3 million after Walsh negotiated contracts with police unions that provide 100 percent of those salary bumps, instead of the previous 75 percent.
Officials said $5.9 million of the $7 million overtime increase came from staffing large events, like the Women’s March and the so-called Free Speech rally on the Common, and that the city is continuing to prioritize lowering overtime.
“The City of Boston has made fiscal responsibility and smart spending a priority, and continues to ensure that we carefully manage both our personnel numbers and overtime each calendar year,” city CFO Emme Handy said in a statement. “While there were a significant number of unplanned protests, large gatherings and celebrations in 2017, the city is proud of the overtime reforms we’ve made enabling us to maintain largely flat public safety overtime hours.”
Sam Tyler, president of fiscal watchdog Boston Municipal Research Bureau, said it was wise to have a large police presence for those events, but stressed that City Hall needs to keep a close eye on overtime costs.
“I give credit to the administration for the effort that’s been ongoing over the past couple of years, but it needs to be a continued high priority ... there is a need to have strong management of overtime and to be careful of what’s agreed to in collective bargaining,” Tyler said. “It’s not like Boston has an open checkbook.”