The MTA plans to hire a former federal prosecutor to probe the agency’s rampant overtime abuse issues, a source said.
The agency is seeking board approval to retain Carrie Cohen, who co-chairs workplace misconduct investigations at the law firm Morrison & Foerster’s, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Cohen also won the conviction of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver while at the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District
In a statement, the MTA would only say that the board will be asked to consider an “outside party” to review issues related to time and attendance.
“This step is especially necessary given the recent apparent sabotage of time clocks at our facilities,” an MTA spokesperson said.
Agency board member Larry Schwartz — a close ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s — had originally pressed for the MTA to hire a former prosecutor to examine overtime at the system.
The Post highlighted the eye-popping overtime hours logged by some LIRR employees last year — including those who billed for more than 3,000 hours in extra work, leading to demands for reforms and investigations into labor practices at the agency.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s top earner last year raked in a budget-busting $344,147 in overtime — on top of his $117,499 salary, according to data released Tuesday by the Empire Center fiscal-watchdog group.
© 2019 New York Post
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