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Exclusive | Hundreds of picketing LIRR workers strike it rich with $100K-plus overtime hauls: ‘System is so distorted’

Nypost · · 983 words · By Carl Campanile
Government Inefficiency Union Greed Taxpayer Burden
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/18/us-news/hundreds-of-picketing-lirr-workers-make-10…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Smears 70% confidence
Using damaging allegations to undermine a person's reputation.
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Appeal to Anger 70% confidence
Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

21 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 11
info Single Source 6
help Insufficient Evidence 3
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“Nearly a dozen Long Island Rail Road workers are hauling in more than $200,000 a year in overtime alone”
DISPUTED
Different reports provide conflicting numbers for LIRR workers earning over $200k in OT. One Newsday report mentions 7 workers in 2016, while another report mentions at least 19 workers in 2020. The claim of 'nearly a dozen' does not align consistently across the available data years.
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web search NEUTRAL — Seven Long Island Rail Road employees were paid more than $200,000 in overtime in 2016, according to data from The Empire Center.
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/report-7-…
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web search NEUTRAL — At least half of Long Island Rail Road workers are earning six-figure salaries — more than any other arm of the MTA, including its own executive headquarters, according to a new watchdog report.The LI…
https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/at-least-half-of-l…
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web search NEUTRAL — Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike, leaving 330,000 commuters without service on busiest US rail line.LIRR strike threat inches closer as MTA, unions fight over pay. 2 days ago. By Michelle Ka…
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
info
“More than 325 Long Island Rail Road workers are raking in over $100,000 a year in overtime”
SINGLE SOURCE
While search results confirm many LIRR workers earn six-figure salaries and some earn over $100k in OT, the specific number '325' is not mentioned in the provided evidence. One source mentions 66 MTA workers, but not 325 LIRR workers specifically.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — According to the report, 66 MTA workers earned more than $100,000 in overtime due to work rule restrictions. So is the public getting ripped off? "We give the public the data and say you decide," said…
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/report-lirr-workers-sal…
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web search NEUTRAL — At least half of Long Island Rail Road workers are earning six-figure salaries — more than any other arm of the MTA, including its own executive headquarters, according to a new watchdog report.
https://nypost.com/2019/04/30/at-least-half-of-lirr-workers-…
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web search NEUTRAL — At least 19 workers got paid more than $200,000 in overtime, according to the report. Overall, the MTA spent $1.1 billion in overtime in 2020 — down $238 million from 2018, when the Empire Center’s an…
https://www.city-data.com/forum/long-island/3263975-lirr-wor…
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“Overtime costs account for a staggering 22% of the LIRR’s payroll”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
The evidence from Newsday explicitly states that the overtime figure amounts to 13 percent of the MTA's total payroll, directly contradicting the claim of 22%.
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web search NEUTRAL — Payroll components may include reimbursements for some expenses that an employee bears on behalf of the company. In many cases this helps an employee save taxes. An employee typically has to submit so…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payroll
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web search NEUTRAL — The overtime figure amounts to 13 percent of the MTA's total payroll.Since creating an overtime task force in 2008, the LIRR has reduced overtime costs more than 25 percent. Last year, it paid about $…
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/mta-makes-pledge-to-redu…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mismatched pay rates between systems. Unassigned departments or cost centers. Payroll totals that do not reconcile with approved hours. A practical method is to maintain a reconciliation checklist for…
https://www.fanruan.com/en/blog/how-to-build-a-payroll-dashb…
info
“Gov. Kathy Hochul makes $250,000 annually as governor of the state of New York”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'annual' and does not contain any information regarding Governor Kathy Hochul's salary.
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web search NEUTRAL — May 11, 2026 · The meaning of ANNUAL is covering the period of a year. How to use annual in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annual
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web search NEUTRAL — ANNUAL definition: of, for, or pertaining to a year; yearly. See examples of annual used in a sentence.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/annual
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web search NEUTRAL — ANNUAL definition: 1. happening once every year: 2. relating to a period of one year: 3. a book or magazine…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/annual
info
“Leonardo Espinosa... earned an eye-popping $244,954 in OT last year on top of his $129,483 salary, bringing his total earnings to $396,749”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence contains general salary calculators and average US wages, but no specific payroll data for an employee named Leonardo Espinosa.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Salary Calculator converts salary amounts to their corresponding values based on payment frequency. Examples of payment frequencies include biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly payments.
https://www.calculator.net/salary-calculator.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Gross Salary (Total Earnings Before Tax). Tax Deduction Amount. Net Salary (Final Take-Home Pay). This makes salary planning simple, fast, and reliable. Why Use a Salary Calculator? Understanding your…
https://calculatordoc.com/md-salary-calculator/
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web search NEUTRAL — According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the annual mean wage for a full-time wage or salary worker in the United States is $53,490 per year or $1,028 per week (for…
https://www.jobted.com/salary
info
“Espinosa... was fingered last year as one of three dozen LIRR workers who allegedly used a fake ID scheme to avoid work while still getting paid, according to a probe conducted by MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided is general information about the MTA and Wikipedia entries; there is no mention of a probe by Daniel Cort or a fake ID scheme involving Leonardo Espinosa.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation in New York State responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area. The MTA is the largest p…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Transportation_…
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web search NEUTRAL — MTA is an internet provider established as a co-op with a 100% Alaska-based customer support team for Residential, Business, Enterprise, and Wholesale Telecom Internet Needs.
https://www.mtasolutions.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Downloadable maps for New York transit, including subways, buses, and the Staten Island Railway, plus the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
https://www.mta.info/maps
info
“Jeffrey Davies, who hauled in $233,808 in OT on top of his base salary of $130,291, for a total of 384,859”
SINGLE SOURCE
While one source mentions a list of LIRR employees who made over $100k in 2009, the specific figures for Jeffrey Davies are not present in the provided evidence text.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — All are employees of the Long Island Rail Road. The full list has been separated into four files by alphabetical order: A to D , E to K , L to P and Q to Z . Click here to see a list of the LIRR emplo…
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/lirr-sala…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Gross Salary (Total Earnings Before Tax). Tax Deduction Amount. Net Salary (Final Take-Home Pay). This makes salary planning simple, fast, and reliable. Why Use a Salary Calculator? Understanding your…
https://calculatordoc.com/md-salary-calculator/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Long Island Rail Road is facing some scrutiny after revealing that some employees earned over $100,000 in overtime alone in 2021. According to data from the watchdog group The Empire Center, Salva…
https://longisland.news12.com/some-lirr-employees-quadrupled…
info
“Steve Delacrausaz, who raked in $233,195 in overtime, to net a total salary of $388,151 when combining his base pay of $133,924”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of general LIRR and MTA descriptions; there is no specific payroll data for Steve Delacrausaz.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Long Island Rail Road (reporting mark LI), or LIRR, is a railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Isl…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_Rail_Road
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web search NEUTRAL — The Long Island Rail Road is the busiest commuter railroad in North America. LIRR carries an average of 301,000 customers each weekday on 735 daily trains.
https://www.mta.info/agency/long-island-rail-road
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web search NEUTRAL — Explore the MTA LIRR Schedule & Ticket Fares. View the Long Island Rail Road map, train timings, career, and station details.
https://lirr.us/
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“Brian Turner, who netted $229,426 in OT on top of a base salary of $131,176, earning a total of $378,926”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
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“Larry Young, racking up $227,999 in OT added to a base salary of $ 130,428 for a total of $378,869”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
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“Salvatore Lazzarino, with $222,185 in OT plus his $100,306 base salary for a total of $326,480”
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“Jose Rodriguez, who took in $207,847 in OT in addition to his $130,415.56 salary, handing him a total of $349,198.01”
PENDING
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“Peter Zoufaly, who earned $206,954.32 in OT plus his base salary of $128,529.24 for a total of $336,010”
PENDING
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“Dwayne Freemantle, who grabbed $204,606 in OT on top of a base salary of $130,033 for a total of $349,278”
PENDING
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“Dallas Bazemore, who raked in $202,890 in OT plus his regular pay of $131,163 for a total of $337,280.11”
PENDING
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“Lee Levine, who accumulated $200,619.12 in OT on top of his $127,567.46 salary for a total of $329,335”
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“Thomas Caputo getting sentenced to eight months in prison after copping to fraud theft”
PENDING
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“The union is reportedly demanding a retroactive increase totaling 9.5% for the past three years and a 5% boost this year”
PENDING
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“management is said to only be agreeing to a 3% raise this year on top of a one-time lump-sum payment that would raise the total to 4.5%”
PENDING
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“the LIRR is the most heavily subsidized operation at the agency [MTA]”
PENDING
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“Hochul retorted that there is “actually no legal mechanism to do that.’’ [referring to suspending congestion pricing]”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.