Cash-grabbing state employees boosted their bottom lines last year with coveted overtime shifts, contract buyouts and more, with State Police hiking their pay into six-figure heights by claiming unused sick and vacation days.
It’s all part of the Herald’s “Your Tax Dollars at Work” payroll analysis that shows the perks of bonus time spread all over state government. In this edition, we break down the top-12 biggest pay boosters in the Commonwealth in 2025.
State Police Deputy Superintendent John Pinkham
This former high-ranking official in the Massachusetts State Police recorded one of the most remarkable pay boosts ever seen among state employees, topping this year’s list by a landslide. Pinkham took home a gross pay of $222,956 in 2025, despite having a base pay of just $13,206, equating to an unbelievable 1,588.29% increase in pay for the year.
He was able to accomplish this by way of a $208,999 buyout before retiring, cashing in on all of his 894.24 unused vacation hours and 20% of his 3006.51 unused sick hours, according to MSP Chief Community Affairs Officer Sarah Burgess. That means, incredibly, Pinkham did not use over a year-and-a-half’s worth of combined vacation and sick time, for a total of 487.52 eight-hour work days.
Cashing in on any amount of unused paid time off is virtually unheard of in the private sector, while rank-and-file state employees are only allowed to cash in on a maximum of 20% of unused PTO. The Herald is investigating these staggering privileges awarded to state police brass but seemingly nowhere else.
DOC Prison Officer Edward Johasen
Officer Johasen may have finished in a distant second place to Pinkham on the top state payroll boosters list, but his 256.5% increase over his base pay in 2025 still puts him miles ahead of the rest. Johasen was paid a base salary of $99,392 yet took home a whopping $354,357 in total pay for the year.
DOC Prison Officer Dennis Henry
It was quite the year to work for the Department of Corrections. Ranking third on this list, DOC Officer Henry fell just shy of Johasen in 2025 pay boosts, taking home a total of $327,180 with a gross pay of $99,760. That’s enough to have earned Henry a 228% increase in pay for last year.
Department of Mental Health Nurse Ederme Bayard
Big-time pay boosts shift out of the DOC and into the Department of Mental Health (DMH) for our fourth place spot. Nurse Bayard saw a 224% boost in pay in 2025 after making $269,535 with a base salary of just $83,086.
Department of Mental Health Worker Mustapha Kromah
The DMH kept this staffer happy and their wallet fat for 2025. Worker Mustapha Kromah had a base salary of just $70,884 but took home a gross pay of $229,705 last year, giving him a fifth-place spot on this year’s list with a state payroll pay boost of 224%.
DOC Prison Officer Mark Cannistraro
Officer Cannistraro brings our attention back to the DOC with his sizable 216% boost in pay last year. Cannistraro took home a gross pay of $302,562 last year with a base salary of $95,742, more than tripling his annual income.
Suffolk County House of Corrections staffer Fritz Louis Jean
Rounding out the ‘200% Club’ is Suffolk County House of Corrections staffer Fritz Louis Jean, who increased his pay by 202.4% on $229,298 of gross income. This was all done on a salary of just $75,817.
MBTA Transit Sgt. Joseph Sacco
The MBTA makes its first appearance on the list at eighth overall thanks to Transit Sgt. Joseph Sacco and his $413,842 in gross pay for 2025. With a base pay of $139,615, Sgt. Sacco recorded a Bay State pay boost of 196% over his salary.
MBTA Transit Officer Kelly Daniel
Another Transit Officer for the MBTA ties Sgt. Sacco in pay boost percentage for 2025, but falls short when it comes down to the hard numbers. Officer Daniel was given a base pay of $98,180 in 2025, but brought home $290,647 in gross pay, enough to keep pace with his superior at the agency, and on this list, at a 196% pay boost.
MassDOT Maintenance Worker Zachary Fuller
Maintenance worker Zachary Fuller rounds out the top ten and gives MassDOT its first appearance on the payroll pay boost list with his impressive 188% increase in 2025. Fuller brought in a total pay of $240,727 last year off an $83,718 base salary.
MBTA Trackperson Patrick Conneely
The next time you experience a train derailment on the green or red lines, just think about Trackperson Patrick Conneely and the 185% pay boost he received in 2025. On a base salary of $99,179, Conneely managed to increase his gross pay for the year to $282,921.
DOC Prison Officer Shad Roy Jackson
Rounding out the top-12 highest state payroll boosters is another DOC Prison Officer in Shad Roy Jackson, securing the Department’s fourth overall appearance on this year’s list. Officer Jackson managed a 183% pay boost in 2025 after making $280,132 in gross pay with a base salary of $99,024.
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