The books are closed on 2022 and the state’s extra time price range pushed some previous the $300,000 pay level — with two eclipsing $400,000 in gross earnings.
Those Top 10 OT earners all despatched their base pay into orbit by clocking in bonus hours, a Herald payroll evaluation exhibits.
It’s a tally watchdogs are saying can’t be sustained and almost certainly isn’t giving taxpayers their cash’s price.
“Someone needs to take ownership. We have a new governor and the first thing she can do is help taxpayers because on face value, this seems impossible to attain,” mentioned Mass Fiscal’s Paul Craney of Gov.-Elect Maura Healey. “She needs to rein in unsupervised spending.”
The large OT winners — normally dominated by State Police — now embrace nurses, MBTA staff and corrections officers. The pandemic with all its COVID testing and protocols should be an element, however the hours add up quick.
One Department of Correction guard advised the Herald Tuesday evening a number of colleagues jumped on the extra time up for grabs.
“A couple of us do a lot of hours,” mentioned DOC officer Edward Johansen, who earned $215,168 in extra time ending with $313,896 in whole pay, Comptroller data present.
“I have 10-year-old twins and after 10 years your body gets used to” the dearth of sleep, he added. “I eat right. I do my job,” he mentioned when pressed if he can work all these hours and never see any slip in his efficiency.
He added he’ll most likely ease up within the coming 12 months. Others, nevertheless, didn’t return messages left by the Herald looking for solutions to the identical questions.
Some in state authorities are questioning what sort of efficiency could be anticipated by these logging in at such a fast charge. And who, if anybody, is protecting tabs on all of the OT.
“These sky-high overtime payments are absolutely mind-boggling,” mentioned Mary Connaughton of the Pioneer Institute. “The public should demand to know how overtime is approved and how supervisors are satisfied these staff can perform effectively in high-risk jobs working so many hours.”
Connaughton, director of presidency transparency on the Pioneer assume tank, added that “when state workers earn more in OT than in base pay, taxpayers deserve answers.”
T spokesman Joe Pesaturo has defended the hefty extra time — and the “forepersons” who dominate the checklist of high earners — by saying it’s all a part of the T’s “aggressive plans to accelerate safety improvements.”
The DOC has additionally mentioned, “the department remains focused on recruiting, training, and activating classes of new, diverse candidates.” As for state prisons, they are saying to not fear all of them have “appropriate staffing.”
Closing down MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole over the following two years may even assist staffing at different prisons, the DOC added.
In all, 220 state staff earned $100,000 or extra final 12 months in extra time pay, data present. Dozens extra got here shut punching in for $80,000 to $90,000 in OT.
Gov. Charlie Baker earned $184,999 — with no extra time regardless of working seven days every week at instances.
This is the primary in a sequence of tales the Herald might be writing as a part of the “Your Tax Dollars at Work” mission. Go to bostonherald.com to see databases of state payrolls. If you might have a tip, e mail [email protected].
Source: www.bostonherald.com”