MassDOT bridge operator clocked $103,000 in OT last year

Overtime at the state highway department was in the fast lane last year, with one employee pulling down $103,683 in extra pay, payroll records show.

As part of the Herald’s “Your Tax Dollars at Work” annual report, our research shows the Department of Transportation payroll for 2020 shows 928 employees earned $100,000 or more for the year.

MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack, who is heading to DC to work for President Biden’s Federal Highway Administration, earned $170,405, but records show she wasn’t the highest paid.

Three MassDOT employees pulled down $223,850, $190,458 and $170,665, respectively. They were all top managers.

The big OT haul was made by a bridge operator who earned $61,487 in base pay but $103,683 in overtime. MassDOT was contacted too late in the evening by the Herald to track down a reason for the high overtime cost.

But there was plenty of overtime to go around in 2020, with more than 300 employees earning $20,000 or more in OT. That tally includes eight MassDOT staffers who earned $60,000 and up in OT last year, records show.

Go to the Herald’s “Your Tax Dollars at Work” report at bostonherald.com to scan all the MassDOT pay from the past two years. Other state pay, from troopers to UMass teachers and staff, are also posted. Send any tips to joed@bostonherald.com and look for continued coverage of state expenditures all year in the Herald.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/395Wj6Q