MTA workers ride $1B OT gravy train

The MTA spent nearly $1 billion on overtime last year — with a chunk of it going to a handful of workers, new data show.

Eight employees alone combined to make roughly $1.6 million of the $971 million in overtime in 2016, according to data analyzed by the Empire Center.

Each of the lucky eight workers raked in some $200,000 over their base pay, leaving transit advocates upset that so much is being spent on an OT windfall instead of transit upgrades.

“If they had better control over the overtime, money could be spent to improve and add service and get better control over delays,” said Gene Russianoff, who is senior attorney for the Straphangers Campaign.

Long Island Rail Road track foreman Ralph Golden earned the most overtime of any MTA em- ployee, taking home an additional $256,155 on top of his base pay for a total of $360,978, the figures show.

With the OT, Golden earned $14,271 more than then-MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast, who retired in January.

Two other track foremen — Joseph Ruzzo and Joseph Biondo — also made more money in 2016 than the head honcho.

Golden, who made $70,455 more than he did in 2015, declined to comment on his earnings.

MTA officials claim the workers who make that kind of money are very specifically trained, and the MTA would spend more money paying more workers if it weren’t paying that cash in overtime.

“Many of the jobs listed are highly specialized, can’t be performed by entry-level employees and are essential to operating a transportation network around-theclock, every day of the year,” said MTA spokeswoman Beth DeFalco.

However, not all of those raking in tens of thousands in overtime are specialized employees.

At least 19 station and train cleaners scored more than $50,000 in overtime least year to each make at least $107,000 when their base pay was around $56,000.

In the LIRR, Metro-North, and Bridge and Tunnel divisions, the average OT rose more than the total, meaning fewer employees took home a larger chunk of the cash, according to Empire Center officials.

DeFalco added that the MTA has managed to cut more than $1.6 billion in annual expenses since 2010.