MTA machinists investigated for chronic idleness on the job
According to the New York Metropolitan Transport Authority Inspector General's report released on Tuesday, several MTA machinists received salary and overtime pay without actually reporting for their jobs. Although the report did not identify the machinists, the New York Daily News cited sources identifying four of those implicated in the investigation - James Wright, Scott Newman, Joseph Derosa, and Alfred Thomas. Newman made $70,000 in salary in addition to $17,000 of overtime pay, while Derosa earned $40,000 overtime in addition to his $70,000 salary, the news outlet said. Wright's and Thomas' salary information was not made available.
The report by the Office of the Inspector General stated that out of 45 tours of duty examined, the four machinists were completely idle 22 percent of the time. Wright was discovered to have done yard work, as well as visiting a Home Depot and McDonalds during his scheduled work hours, the newspaper said.
As stated in the report, the OIG is "troubled by the lack of management, supervision, and oversight by the foremen and supervisors that allowed this inactivity to take place." Track crew foremen told investigators that supervisors utilize the honor system when it comes to checking in on employees.
To prevent further incidents, General Barry Kluger has suggested that Metro-North check up on machinists at track crew locations, as well as installing GPS on work vehicles to more carefully monitor machinist locations.
In cases of employee idleness, more efficient use of time and attendance software could potentially alleviate the need for future investigations.
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