Wonder why New York state’s budget — at nearly a quarter of trillion bucks, or about 50% more per head than the national average — is so far off the charts?
Then take a look at the Empire Center’s latest report on overtime pay for state employees.
A whopping 439 of them — yup, 439 — racked up more than $100,000 a pop in OT last year, with four hauling in more than $300,000.
The extra dough allowed 121 staffers to triple their regular pay, and 15 to quadruple it.
New York’s 2023 OT champ: Huyphuc Pham, a psychiatric nurse at the Bronx Psychiatric Center, who pulled down $350,933 in overtime, for total pay of nearly half a mill.
How on Earth can that happen?
“Overtime levels can reflect staffing challenges,” notes Empire’s research director Ken Girardin, “but they can also shine a light on places where government operations can be improved.”
The absurd OT helped drive up total payroll from $18.2 billion to $19.4 billion, or by 6% — the biggest single-year surge in recent history, Empire reports.
And while the state headcount in January was up “only” 3% over the year before, from 202,733 “full-time equivalents” to 208,924, Gov. Hochul is hoping to fill a whopping 10,000 vacancies.
No: It’s time to start figuring out how to control the payroll, and not just OT.
Hochul’s four-year budget sees spending at $20 billion more than projected revenue.
With New York leading every other state in per-capita taxes (and losing residents because of it), fresh tax hikes can only speed the state’s decline.
Better management to reduce headcounts and OT hours, and even saner union contracts, won’t suffice to cover the gap.
But when you’re facing billions in red ink, every dime in savings helps.