Written by Michael Moran on July 13, 2010 – 6:07 am
Nick Reisman of Gannett News Service reports on the first disclosure of bonus and overtime pay for public authorities.
He writes: “The employees of public authorities received more than $6.6 million in extra pay during the 2009-10 fiscal year, according to an oversight office that monitors the entities.
The disclosure of the pay of 21 authorities’ extra pay — which encompasses overtime, bonuses or obligations of collective bargaining contracts — comes as some state lawmakers and good-government groups seek to pry more information from the entities that have been known to guard their privacy.
“It shines a light on what is going on in these authorities and specifically what these people are making,” said Barbara Bartoletti, the legislative director of the League of Women Voters of New York. “This is something that the public should know and then it’s up to the public to decide whether or not they want to pay for it.”
More authorities are due to reveal their compensation for the 2009-10 fiscal year, which ended March 31.
Of the 21 authorities and public corporations that reported their compensation and extra pay, the Erie County Medical Center Corp. reported the largest total, about $4.4 million.
Tom Quatroche, a spokesman for the center, said much of the extra compensation reflects back pay as the result of retroactive union agreements.
“Our salaries for our executives are below average nationally and locally,” he said. “Salaries are industry specific. Whether it’s hospitals or car manufacturers, there’s a certain level of salary to attract talent.”