As prices of Long Island Rail Road fares go up, so do the yearly paychecks of its employees.
The number of LIRR employees who made more than $200,000 increased by about 40 percent from 2016 t0 2017, according to payroll data found on the Empire Center for Public Policy’s transparency website, SeeThroughNY.net.
The number of employees who made more than $300,000 also increased this year. Twelve LIRR employees topped a $300,000 paycheck in 2017 compared to eight in 2016, data shows. In 2015, just four employees made that amount. In 2014, no employees made more than $300,000.
LIRR President Patrick A. Nowakowski was No. 7 on the 2017 list, with a pay rate of $137 per hour, a $1 per hour raise from 2016. All six employees ahead of him received a pay rate of $48 or $50 per hour, according to the data.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority hiked fares on subways and its suburban commuter railroads 4 percent in 2017. The MTA is planning similar hikes in 2019 and 2021. But that pace may need to accelerate to cover growing maintenance costs and the MTA’s long-term capital plan, according to a report state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released in November.
Click here to view the LIRR employees who were paid over $200,000 last year.
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