Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
MTA Workers Make Full-Time Cash For Part-Time Hours
By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 2, 2009
Modified Dec 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 2, 2009
Modified Dec 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Hundreds of Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers responsible for repairing above-ground subway tracks have been getting paid for eight-hour shifts, even though they actually spend only four hours per day working.
To keep workers safe and prevent them from slowing down rush-hour trains, the MTA only permits outdoor track work between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm — meaning that the agency's 455 outdoor track repair workers only work about four hours per day. But the agency spends about $10 million per year paying out the workers' full-time shifts from 8 am to 4 pm, even though they usually spend about half of their days "reading, chatting or doing other leisure-time pursuits instead of fixing rails and switches," according to the Daily News.
A new report by the MTA's inspector general urges the MTA and the Transport Workers Union Local 100 to find ways to "get more weekend work" for outdoor track repair crews, because the agency doesn't allow crews to work outdoors at night, when most track work is done. But the union says weekend work is unfair: "The answer is not to punish track workers and our families for the MTA's gross mismanagement," said union officer John Samuelsen, who noted that the agency's rule book actually allows workers to hit the tracks as early as 9 am, not 10:30 am. "If the MTA moves to take track workers from our families on both Saturday and Sunday every week, there will be swift intervention from TWU Local 100."
Tagged
compensation
full-time
metropolitan transportation authority
MTA
part time
transit
union
Ben Muessig
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says
The mayor said his administration would review ICE and NYPD actions surrounding Thursday’s shooting.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 11, 2026
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
For a Democrat in a traditionally red NJ district, how to woo Republican voters
By
Mike Hayes
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .