A California janitor collected a six-figure salary over the past year for the third year in a row, TIME reported.
CNBC reports Liang Zhao Zhang, a San Francisco-based janitor who works for the BART transit system, collected a base salary of $57,945 and $162,050 in overtime pay, for a total of $276,121 after benefits were added in.
Watchdog groups such as Transparent California have called BART’s compensation packages “outrageous and irresponsible,” but Zhang’s employer says it’s not his fault.
He “signs up for every overtime slot that becomes available,” BART spokesperson Alicia Trost tells CNBC. “He is likely working almost every day of the year cleaning our stations.”
Zhang put in over 4,000 hours in 2015, clocking in double the amount of hours the average BART employee works, according to the SF Gate.
“He is signing up for time that is also available to others,” Trost said. “If he doesn’t take the hours, someone else will. The sign-ups are based on seniority.”
SF Gate estimates that his hourly rate, excluding benefits, adds up to $56 per hour.
While Zhang’s salary is large, it pales in comparison to what the head of BART makes.
Grace Crunican, general manager of BART, raked in $458,810 in total compensation last year, according to Transparent California.
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