Amtrak Employees Claimed to Work 40 Hours Per Day
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Bureaucracy - work rules, Union Contracts and inane Government requirements, being what they are I can easily see where an employee might be compensated at what appears to be a rediculously high rate because a situation demands it.
I'd like to see the supporting documentation for the instances cited in the IG report. If what was reported is true, and I am a union employee working on a government contract, than something should be done about it. But only if true.
The "gold-plated" coffee pots cone to mind, where it was revealed (only years after) that the coffee pots were a legitimate solution posed by a government contractor for a _government_ requirement. So a thing can be not what it seems.
That kind of reporting is what passes for journalism when sombodys has a mule to flog.
I'd like to see the supporting documentation for the instances cited in the IG report. If what was reported is true, and I am a union employee working on a government contract, than something should be done about it. But only if true.
The "gold-plated" coffee pots cone to mind, where it was revealed (only years after) that the coffee pots were a legitimate solution posed by a government contractor for a _government_ requirement. So a thing can be not what it seems.
That kind of reporting is what passes for journalism when sombodys has a mule to flog.
With the savings from not paying someone for 40 hours in an 8 hour day, can I get more than one bottle of water for a 3 day trip please?
VentureForth
Engineer
Bashing the Washington Free Beacon will only get you brownie points in this forum. I haven't read any conclusions in the article based on the report - just reporting what's in it. I understand Tom's reluctance at trusting the OIG, but all that can be done from the report is create investigations.
What I found perhaps to be most disturbing in the report is that only three employees are being investigated. Perhaps the others are being looked into by management but not the OIG. So, to that end, I can find Tom's comment that the conclusion could be rational, albeit excessive.
If they could recoup half the alleged waste, that's a victory in my book.
What I found perhaps to be most disturbing in the report is that only three employees are being investigated. Perhaps the others are being looked into by management but not the OIG. So, to that end, I can find Tom's comment that the conclusion could be rational, albeit excessive.
If they could recoup half the alleged waste, that's a victory in my book.
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I wouldn't get your hopes up about recouping any money from the employees VF, remember the Amtrak Secretary that sold passenger information to the spooks for several hundred thousand dollars and was allowed to retire with full pension and benefits!
Also the many Congress critters, officials and ex Presidents that were also allowed to " retire" with pension and benefits intact! ( see Nixon, Richard )instead of going to prison!
I'm more interested in the IG finding out what Amtrak Management types were in on this, or else weren't doing their jobs when they certified the fraudulent time sheets!
As for the untrustworthy political rag,( aren't they all!) as Ronnie Raygun used to say, "trust but verify!"
Also the many Congress critters, officials and ex Presidents that were also allowed to " retire" with pension and benefits intact! ( see Nixon, Richard )instead of going to prison!
I'm more interested in the IG finding out what Amtrak Management types were in on this, or else weren't doing their jobs when they certified the fraudulent time sheets!
As for the untrustworthy political rag,( aren't they all!) as Ronnie Raygun used to say, "trust but verify!"
VentureForth
Engineer
Well, I agree(!), Jim. I don't think they'll get anything back. But if they can prevent fraudulent waste in the future, the reliance on tax payer subsidies can be reduced - OR - spent wisely on infrastructure and equipment improvements.
Noticed also that a couple of AmCops were amongst the highest overtime recipients.
Noticed also that a couple of AmCops were amongst the highest overtime recipients.
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Aloha
In Entertainment we have an employement catagory callled a "Day Player". If you were in that catagory you might have more than 24 hours. On one job i had I clocked in and clocked out 47.5 hours later. the sun rose twice on that "day"
In Entertainment we have an employement catagory callled a "Day Player". If you were in that catagory you might have more than 24 hours. On one job i had I clocked in and clocked out 47.5 hours later. the sun rose twice on that "day"
The Chief
Lead Service Attendant
Some here ^ questioned authenticity of online freebeacon as source.
Here's link to Orange County Register (columnist) take this week on the OIG overtime/time abuse report. The Register has been around 110 years:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/amtrak-670608-hours-overtime.html
Great (online) headline: All aboard the Amtrak gravy train
I don't doubt the veracity of the reports of widespread larcenous timesheets.
Here's link to Orange County Register (columnist) take this week on the OIG overtime/time abuse report. The Register has been around 110 years:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/amtrak-670608-hours-overtime.html
Great (online) headline: All aboard the Amtrak gravy train
I don't doubt the veracity of the reports of widespread larcenous timesheets.
FormerOBS
Conductor
So they get their commentary from the always-objective Cato Institute? As discussed above, a lot of this is a matter of interpretation. The devil is in the details & this is too simplistic to be of much use. I hope we don't need to go over this again. It's getting mighty tiresome.
(written from my retirement mansion)
Tom
(written from my retirement mansion)
Tom
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For sure I give great creedence to Right Wing Think Tanks and Fish Wrap papers. ( same for Hate Radio, Faux Noise, the internet and talking point blathering from right wing politicians in the Clown Car!)
Why should we believe someone who actually worked for and Retired from Amtrak? We have all that great info available from anonymous sources who either misquote facts or cherry pick selected tidbits from such believable sources of information!
Just ask the Mica Managers of Amtrak in Congress and the know nothings that believe them! It's all the damn Union employees fault!
Why should we believe someone who actually worked for and Retired from Amtrak? We have all that great info available from anonymous sources who either misquote facts or cherry pick selected tidbits from such believable sources of information!
Just ask the Mica Managers of Amtrak in Congress and the know nothings that believe them! It's all the damn Union employees fault!
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If the fraud amounts to over $200 million the incidents of abuse have to be massive.
neroden
Engineer
The IG report seems to conclude that most of the OBS overtime is legit (not surprising) -- probably goofy numbers are an artifact of the way it's accounted for (like reporting all the hours on the date of "checkout", even if it goes across multiple days, or reporting "double time" overtime as a number of hours).
The serious investigations seem to be into the maintenance workers, which given what I've heard about scamming by railroad maintenance workers, doesn't surprise me *one bit*.
The serious investigations seem to be into the maintenance workers, which given what I've heard about scamming by railroad maintenance workers, doesn't surprise me *one bit*.
cirdan
Engineer
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When i was in Germany (this was 30 years ago) I spent a period working for a company there where I had to clock in and out at the start and end of the shift.
Sometimes I had to work off site. As I couldn't come back to the office to clock, I was allowed to write the hours in a form and the secretary would enter them into the system when i gave this to her.
As the booking system closed at the end of every day, the hours would be added to the present day, not the day I actually worked them.
So if I'd been away for a week or more, I might end up with some astronomic number of hours being booked onto a single day, and of course zero hourse on all previous days.
My record was over 300 hours booked on a single day.
And word of honor. I worked every single one of those. I never frivolosly inflated my hours.
Maybe something similar was going on in these cases?
Sometimes I had to work off site. As I couldn't come back to the office to clock, I was allowed to write the hours in a form and the secretary would enter them into the system when i gave this to her.
As the booking system closed at the end of every day, the hours would be added to the present day, not the day I actually worked them.
So if I'd been away for a week or more, I might end up with some astronomic number of hours being booked onto a single day, and of course zero hourse on all previous days.
My record was over 300 hours booked on a single day.
And word of honor. I worked every single one of those. I never frivolosly inflated my hours.
Maybe something similar was going on in these cases?
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