Maine Turnpike Authority Payroll on the rise

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According to employee salary data on MaineOpenGov.org, employees of the Maine Turnpike Authority apparently haven’t been hard-hit by the recent recession. The Maine Turnpike Authority has been increasing its overall payroll amount since MaineOpenGov.org began collecting data in 2006, despite cutting the overall number of employees.

While the MTA has downsized the number of employees on their payroll by 9% in the past 3 years, its overall payroll has increased by more than 10%. The average employee at the MTA, including part-time and seasonal workers, earned an 18% raise from 2006 to 2009. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation during that period was only 6%. Have private sector employees seen raises like that since 2006?

The increases in pay don’t exempt the highest paid employees either: The number of turnpike employees making over $100k in total compensation more than tripled from 2006 to 2009. These pay raises come amid the construction of the Turnpike’s new $11.9 million administration building off exit 46 in Portland, which was commissioned in 2006, opened in 2009, and dedicated just a few days ago to former State Senate Democrat Leader Gerard Conley Sr. That 55,000 square foot administration building (which houses about 120 employees) was part of the Turnpike’s “thinking ahead” long-term business plan.

Maybe the next round of “thinking ahead” should include some sort of plan to reduce spending where possible.