DiNapoli To Conduct Forensic Audit On MTA, Cites Excessive Overtime

[Nova RTS 9147]

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office will soon begin a forensic audit of what he has called 'excessive overtime' at the MTA. NY1's John Mancini filed the following report.

 

Nearly everyone agrees overtime at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is out of control. And while union and management wrangle over who's to blame, the state's fiscal watchdog wants to see if the situation is truly criminal.

 

"It's more about looking at specific cases where there are individuals, whatever title they may have, that were doing something that would rise to the level of fraud," said State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

 

DiNapoli's audit -- his first seeking criminal evidence -- will probe suspicious transactions, including a lack of documentation for more than three quarters of sampled overtime reports. Anything that looks like fraud will go to prosecutors.

 

Not only does fraudulent overtime inflate salaries, it also increases long-term costs since pensions are based on the final years on the job.

 

In response, the MTA issued a statement saying, "We welcome the comptroller's assistance as we continue to fulfill our commitment to reduce overtime."

 

MTA Chairman Jay Walder has targeted overtime, which grew by $600 million over four years, as an area the agency has to do a better job policing. But the MTA's largest union is questioning how strong that commitment really is.

 

"When all is said and done, more overtime will have been worked by Local 100 members in 2010 and 2011 than ever before, because of these personnel moves that they've made," said Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen.

 

The MTA says the layoffs of hundreds of bus drivers, station agents and other transit workers this year, along with big reductions in service, were absolutely necessary. But the union calls extra overtime the price of costly mistakes, saying, "Overtime is a necessary component of mass transit to keep service on the street. But when you cut jobs, there's going to be more overtime, not less."

 

DiNapoli says the MTA needs to take a fresh look at whether it should be hiring instead of firing.

 

"You may have situations where they can adjust schedules, situations where perhaps they need to hire a couple more people, and in the long run will save money," said the comptroller.

 

With fare hike hearings coming up in September, riders hope it's not too late for the MTA to find new ways to cut costs.

 

From NY1

 

Interesting development for . This could possibly add fuel to Walder's fire now.

[RTOMan]

Interesting development for . This could possibly add fuel to Walder's fire now.

 

No it wont...

[SubwayGuy]

Waste of money to do this. You either pay overtime to pay your existing people, or you pay benefits to new employees because one way or another the trains have to run.

 

Government bureaucrat figurehead idiots haven't figured this out.

 

Since Subways hasn't been hiring, there's bound to be lots of overtime. Don't like it well then you got to hire more people and pay their benefits. No other way around it except to cut service again and they can't do it seeing as they just did and they're talking about more fare hikes as it is...

[Gotham Bus Co]

Of course, I gotta ask... How much is DiNapoli spending for a "forensic audit" of the most audited books in the state??

[INDman]

If anything, this will show that the MTA f**ked up by laying off employees and not hiring others which has caused a massive shortage in every department which has led to alot of over time.

[Joe]

Last time an MTA agency was audited, everything was found to be in-order. Movie at 11.

[Justin08]

I was on a train a few weeks ago and there was a lady who was a Conductor or a T/O and she told sum1 she just worked 16hrs. Maybe all of us on the T/O list will get in now if they hire hahaha