Keller @ Large: Where Your Money Goes

BOSTON (CBS) - Many MBTA workers work hard at tough jobs under difficult conditions. But with the system hemorrhaging red ink, news of rampant absenteeism and big-league paycheck-padding isn't sitting well with the paying customers or Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve, the corporate turnaround expert brought in by Gov. Charlie Baker to clean up the mess.

"It was shocking to our team and that's why we wanted to put it out there," says Shortsleeve of the newly-released data on rampant absenteeism, apparent abuse of family leave benefits, and eye-popping overtime hauls at the faltering transit system.

Related: Top Paid T Worker Made $315,000

"It seems as if the MBTA is viewed by a significant number of its employees as just a gravy train, is that true?" we asked Shortsleeve.

"All I can tell you is we've got to do a better job for our riders, we gotta get our employees back to work," he said. (WBZ reached out repeatedly to MBTA union officials without response.)

But don't ask one of the T employees raking in more than $300,000 a year to work harder. He's already averaging more than fifty hours a week of lucrative overtime pay. "We're looking into that right now, we've got an audit underway," says Shortsleeve. "That's a combination of overtime that was charged to the capital budget, to the operating budget, there's some back pay in there. I think the most important question is whether the public is getting their money's worth."

Few riders seem to think so, with more fare hikes looming.

"When my T monthly pass goes up, I'll be thinking, 'Oh, somebody's overtime,'" says one rider.

"And then they are talking about doing a 10 percent increase on fares," adds another. "So something isn't right."