July 2002

It takes a Thief!

By Steve Burt
Director of Education

Theft of compensation is a serious management crime, which is occurring at epidemic levels in some units. Stealing is stealing, right? Wrong! It all depends on who is doing the stealing. Letter carriers are fired immediately when we steal from the Postal Service or its customers. Supervisors who steal from employees get bigger bonuses and Voice of the Business awards. The article below demonstrates some of the ways that management steals from employees under the new TACS system. I’m sure clever supervisors have come up with other ways, but the pattern would have to generally fit the examples below in reducing credited time.

The title of this article reminds us that it takes a thief to catch a thief. Long, long ago, I was a 204-b supervisor and was taught the fundamentals of timekeeping as well as receiving an exposure to supervisory ethics. Stewards need to think about why supervisors take time out. Often it is to avert payment of penalty overtime. It might be to make their unrealistic budget. It may be pure spite. It happens much too often to the PTF and especially the probationary letter carrier or casual.

Adjusted End Tour

Perhaps the easiest way to steal compensation from an employee who exceeded 8 hours is to simply nullify the end tour (ET) and put in a new end tour that places the employee back at 8 hours. If the return move also exceeds 8 hours, that ring would need replacing in the same manner. Note the (mythical) social security number showing these actions (log audit trail). That social security number belongs to the responsible party. This log audit trail is a fiduciary necessity as it is an irreplaceable tool to prevent or investigate improper wage compensation by dishonest timekeeping supervisors.

Make note, anyone capable of stealing your time is dishonest enough to pad their own. Management cannot doctor someone’s time, giving or taking away compensation, without leaving footprints in the sand. The examples on the following pages show time being taken at a mythical station (XXXX41). .

Processed Clock Rings
Monday
Base 05200: 008:00
EBR #
006-0101 BT 10/29 08.01 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 09.62 25-2490 7210-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 16.48 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 ET 10/29 16.51 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 16.63 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 (W) Ring Deleted From PC 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33
006-0101 ET 10/29 16.71 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 (W) Ring Deleted From PC 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33
The method above shows a time disallowance the same evening that the carrier went over. Since the carrier was back at 16.48 and did not end until 16.71, it is possible that the time between the rings was excessive and non-productive. It is also possible that the carrier was working in some capacity. Perhaps he was instructed by someone to throw or distribute mail! It is unlikely that Forms 1017(a) or 1017(b) could have been completed between the time the carrier left (16.71) and the disallowance (17.33) because the carrier was not physically available to answer the obvious and necessary question as to why he went over, unless he was constantly observed not working. And if that were true the supervisor observing the carrier should have immediately instructed him to leave. The codes Base 05200 and 008.00 show that the carrier is credited with only 8 hours. If our carrier returned from the field after the scheduled end tour, the supervisor would have to adjust both the return and the end tour. The example below shows the expected adjustments.
Processed Clock Rings
Monday
Base 05200: 008:00
EBR #
006-0101 BT 10/29 08.01 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 09.62 25-2490 7210-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 16.48 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 ET 10/29 16.51 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 16.63 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 (W) Ring Deleted From PC 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33
006-0101 ET 10/29 16.71 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 (W) Ring Deleted From PC 333-33-3333 10/29 17.33

Proper Overtime Authorization

A proper overtime authorization inputted the next day would look like this, with Base 05300 000.20:

Processed Clock Rings
Monday
Base 05200: 008:20 05300: 000.20
EBR #
006-0101 BT 10/29 08.01 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 09.62 25-2490 7210-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 16.63 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 ET 10/29 16.71 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
000-0000 OT 10/29 16.71 25-2490 7220-41 041047 00.20 333-33-3333 10/30 08.93

Extended Lunch Method

This is another method of ripping off the carrier, wherein the timekeeping supervisor tacks in an extra lunch move in the middle of the day, and the lunch is always just the right size to make for an 8 hour day. With our overburdened routes and our almost daily pivoting in many units, the carrier certainly worked through the phony lunch and often the real meal, too. Note the OL and IL coding of the inserted lunch. Note again the Base 05200: 008.00, giving the carrier an 8 hour day.

Processed Clock Rings
Monday
Base 05200: 08:00
EBR #
006-0101 BT 10/29 08.00 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 09.65 25-2490 7210-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 OL 10/29 12.00 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/30 07.25 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 IL 10/29 12.92 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/30 07.26 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 16.86 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 ET 10/29 16.92 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 (W) NonScheduled End Tour

Split Shift Method

This tactic is a variation of the extended lunch method of robbing the carrier, where the timekeeping supervisor sticks in a new end tour and then a new begin tour in the middle of the day, and the gap in time is again just the right size to make it an 8 hour day. If a carrier really was instructed to report twice in one day, maybe two 8-hour guarantees would apply. Hmmm. Note once again the Base 05200: 008.00, giving the carrier an 8 hour day.

Processed Clock Rings
Monday
Base 05200: 08:00
EBR #
006-0101 BT 10/29 08.00 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 09.65 25-2490 7210-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 ET 10/29 12.00 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/30 08.37 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 BT 10/29 12.92 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ 333-33-3333 10/30 08.37 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00
006-0101 MV 10/29 16.86 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 006-0101 ET 10/29 16.92 25-2490 7220-41 041047 __.__ ___-___-___ ___/___ 00.00 (W) NonScheduled End Tour

In conclusion, I urge any steward pulling time records for any grievance to check out the actual workings and log audit trail exposed in the time records. The methods above probably do not exhaust all the options for a supervisor to swipe time. The examples above were found in a special inspection grievance. The PTFs (and especially the probationary employees) are often totally overburdened with distribution, collections, and an 8 hour route assignment. They frequently get forced into penalty overtime with 6- and 7-day schedules. Because management has been ordered not to pay penalty overtime, it is almost a given that time clock rings will be doctored to hide the penalty time.

At least one unit even uses a compensatory formula for pulling the penalty time out and putting in basic overtime later, using a calculation of X units times 1.5 times 1.2 to compensate at extra overtime for the pulled penalty time. This only pays 1.8, not 2.0. The carrier still gets his pocket picked, while management hides their sin. The right formula is X units times 1.5 times 1.3333, which yields 1.9995, rounding to penalty overtime.

Remember, it takes a thief to catch a thief. Happy hunting!

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