New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already blown through its overtime budget by $176 million, while nearly 1,000 workers collected more in extra pay than in base salaries. The spending surge is unfolding as the agency warns of future budget gaps and prepares riders for another fare-and-toll increase.
Spending records reviewed by The New York Post show the MTA spent $764 million on overtime during the first six months of 2026. The authority is now on pace to approach $1.5 billion in overtime for the year, potentially surpassing its 2025 record.
The figures are especially jarring against the MTA’s published 2026 plan, which puts the authority’s total operating budget at about $21.3 billion and budgets roughly $1.1 billion for overtime. That same MTA financial plan projects cash deficits beginning in 2027, along with a 4% fare-and-toll increase planned for March 2027.
Some MTA Workers Made More In Overtime Than Salary
The overtime-heavy pay structure was already visible in 2025 payroll data. The Empire Center, which analyzed state payroll records, found that senior stationary engineer Stilwell Manriquez received $549,122 in total pay, including $276,898 in overtime.
Six MTA employees earned more than Chairman Janno Lieber’s nearly $470,000 total compensation last year, according to the analysis. Manriquez was the highest-paid employee listed, while some Bridges and Tunnels workers also posted unusually large overtime totals.
The pattern continued into 2026. Records cited by The New York Post show Luis Miranda collected $89,560 in overtime during the first three months of the year, compared with $36,193 in regular pay, while John Anastasatos received $78,520 in overtime and $29,107 in regular pay during that period.
Vacancies Are Helping Drive The Overtime Bill
The disclosure lands amid a broader fight over how New York funds and manages its transit system. As Hoodline previously reported, City Council members have been pressing transit officials over operating gaps, service reliability and the possibility that riders will be asked to shoulder more of the cost.
Finance documents show New York City Transit had 2,868 unfilled jobs by the end of June, while the agency saved $97 million on salaries because those positions remained vacant. MTA officials have argued that overtime can sometimes be cheaper than adding permanent staff, particularly when extreme weather creates temporary labor demands, according to the Post.
That argument may explain part of the math, but it does not erase the underlying question: whether the MTA is deliberately relying on overtime to keep trains, buses and bridges operating because it cannot fill enough jobs. For riders already facing higher fares and tolls, the distinction between a staffing shortage and a budget strategy may matter less than the final bill.
The agency’s 2025 financial statements listed about $1.15 billion in overtime, while state payroll records cited in the Post put the year’s total closer to $1.5 billion. Either way, the latest figures suggest overtime is no longer a side expense for the MTA—it is one of the central forces shaping the authority’s finances.
