State-employed nurse earns $500,000 – NY’s budget in disbelief

Have you ever wondered why New York state’s budget, which is nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars and about 50% more per person than the national average, is so high?

If so, then you should take a look at the Empire Center’s recent report on overtime pay for state employees.

A staggering 439 employees accumulated over $100,000 each in overtime pay last year, with four individuals making over $300,000.

This extra income allowed 121 employees to triple their regular pay, and 15 of them quadrupled it.

The top earner for overtime pay in 2023 was Huyphuc Pham, a psychiatric nurse at the Bronx Psychiatric Center, who earned $350,933 in overtime, bringing his total pay to nearly half a million dollars.

How is this even possible?

“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 excessive overtime pay contributed to an increase in total payroll from $18.2 billion to $19.4 billion, a 6% surge – the largest single-year increase in recent history, according to Empire’s findings.

Even though the state’s workforce increased by only 3% from the previous year, from 202,733 “full-time equivalents” to 208,924, Governor Hochul aims to fill 10,000 vacancies.

It is crucial to find ways to control the payroll, not just overtime.

Governor Hochul’s four-year budget predicts spending $20 billion more than projected revenue.

Considering that New York has the highest per-capita taxes in the nation and is losing residents as a result, implementing new tax hikes will only accelerate the state’s decline.

Improving management to reduce workforce and overtime hours, as well as renegotiating union contracts, may not be enough to bridge the budget gap.

However, when facing billions in deficit, every penny saved matters.