# An Ohio transit worker earned over $200,000 in overtime pay A vehicle technician became the second-highest earner after the CEO due to overtime. - **Source:** [Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com) - **Published:** 2026-07-14 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/7e721ba2-0706-4b20-9498-e9b93f59c431 ## Record-breaking overtime pay A vehicle maintenance technician at the Central Ohio Transit Authority earned nearly $230,000 in overtime pay in 2025 alone. This amount is more than triple his base salary. Union rules and understaffing are cited as the main reasons behind this record payment. ## Second-highest earner after the CEO While the agency's CEO earned the highest salary, this vehicle technician came in second. This situation highlights how dependent employees are on overtime and the severity of understaffing. Debates are focusing on the sustainability of such payments. ## Understaffing and union impact Staff shortages at the agency force existing employees to work overtime. Union rules also guarantee that these overtime hours are paid at high rates. This combination significantly boosts some employees' salaries. ## Employee opinions Opinions among employees are divided. Some argue that overtime is exhausting workers and more hires are needed, while others believe the high pay is deserved. ## Management's perspective Management points to hiring challenges and notes that current employees are willing to work overtime. However, there are questions about whether this is sustainable in the long term. ## Industry implications This incident serves as an example for transit authorities across the country facing similar issues. Balancing understaffing and union rules is becoming a critical issue for the industry's future. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.fastcompany.com/91573358/central-ohio-transit-authority-worker-keith-white-made-200k-in-overtime-pay-in-2025-blue-collar-jobs-vehicle-technician-salary — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._