From EmpireCenter.org -https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/34-mta-workers-made-200k-in-overtime-in-2025/
Thirty-four employees of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) received more than $200,000 in overtime payments in 2025, as total annual pay surpassed half a million dollars for some, according to data posted on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Overtime, as measured using payroll records, totaled $1.46 billion, representing 17 percent of all MTA compensation and an eight percent rise since 2024. For the second consecutive year, the MTA’s overtime champion was Bridges & Tunnels Lt. Edwin Lee, who collected $359,794 in OT, bringing his total pay to $528,809. Three other Bridges & Tunnels employees joined him at the top of the overtime list, each receiving more than $300,000 in overtime payments:
- Orlando Caholo, sergeant, Bridges & Tunnels: $334,002 in OT
- Edward Aristizabal, lieutenant, Bridges & Tunnels: $315,673 in OT
- John Anastasatos, sergeant, Bridges & Tunnels: $304,167 in OT
Overtime accounts for 28 percent of all Bridges & Tunnels compensation — the highest share of any MTA agency. At B&T, 97 of 632 overtime-earning employees collected more in OT than in regular pay.
Among the different agencies, overtime for the New York City Transit Authority jumped 10 percent to $790 million. Overtime also rose at the Long Island Rail Road by 6 percent to $219 million and Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA) by 6 percent to $150 million.
Among the 66,873 employees who received overtime, average overtime was highest at Bridges & Tunnels, where employees averaged $53,626 in OT, followed by Long Island Rail Road ($32,988) and Metro-North ($23,561). Gang foremen, a maintenance title concentrated at LIRR, averaged $70,584 in overtime, with the top earner, Leonardo Espinosa of LIRR, collecting $244,954 in OT and $396,749 in total pay.
A total of 801 MTA employees received six figures in overtime pay. 923 MTA employees more than doubled their 2025 regular pay with overtime, i.e., collected more in overtime than their regular pay.
The overtime surge extends to relatively new employees. Thirty-one workers hired since 2020 collected more than $100,000 in overtime in 2025. Among them, Stationary Engineer James Kriegsmann, hired in 2021, earned $267,710 in OT and $535,660 in total pay. A 2024 hire at NYC Transit, Stationary Engineer Joseph Richter, collected $129,644 in OT in his second year on the job, bringing his total pay to $338,493.
Six MTA employees collected more than CEO Janno Lieber’s total pay of $469,726. Stilwell Manriquez, senior stationary engineer at the Transit Authority, topped the list with a total pay of $549,122, including $276,898 in OT and $71,837 in retroactive pay. The rest are:
- James Kriegsmann, Stationary Engineer, Transit Authority — total pay: $535,660, OT: $267,710
- Leonardo Abatangelo Sr., Stationary Engineer, Transit Authority — total pay: $530,823, OT: $250,886
- Edwin Lee, Lieutenant, Bridges & Tunnels — total pay: $528,809, OT: $359,794
- Edward Aristizabal, Lieutenant, Bridges & Tunnels — total pay: $479,443, OT: $315,673
- Orlando Caholo, Sergeant, Bridges & Tunnels — total pay: $476,810, OT: $334,002
Four hundred forty-eight MTA employees collected more than NYC Mayor Mamdani’s salary of $258,750.
Over half (45,490) of all MTA employees collected more than six figures in total pay, with 2,878 employees collecting more than $200,000. Overall, MTA employees collected an average total pay of $103,969 in 2025. For comparison, New York City government employees averaged $62,877 in total pay during fiscal year 2025. Among the different agencies, employees at Bridges & Tunnels averaged the highest pay at $136,977, followed by LIRR at $127,808 and Metro-North at $120,510.
The single largest overtime category by dollar amount was Train Operators, with 3,836 workers collecting a combined $74.7 million in OT.
Beyond overtime, MTA employees also received $124 million in retroactive pay in 2025, spread across 11,285 workers. Some individual retro payments were substantial: Several employees at New York City Transit and Metro-North each received more than $70,000 in back pay alone, compounding already-elevated total compensation.
The Empire Center’s 2019 payroll analysis sparked a sweeping probe of MTA overtime practices.
The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.
