Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Unaccounted OT?

How true is this?
  • Off-topic: there was much made about the list of personnel from HQ of not swiping in and out. But what wasn't mentioned is that list also had the amount of overtime registered and not paid. Not only does the system calculate the hours worked, it also calculates hours of overtime worked. The city is required by state law to compensate emoloyees when the city is aware of who worked overtime. No one has been compensated yet because it's a test run, but the law doesn't exclude test runs. There are many people in HQ owed overtime by the city.
We don't know about everywhere else, but many places we have worked, officers stay the extra 15 or 30 minutes (or even an hour sometimes) it takes to finish a report, arrest, inventory, whatever. And instead of dropping a slip, their sergeant or lieutenant tells them they'll take care of them tomorrow with a late lunch. If administered fairly, the system works pretty well and the city actually ends up ahead in most cases. Think about it - a 30 minutes late lunch as opposed to 30 minutes of OT at time-and-one-half cash.

Swiping doesn't allow for that option. And nickel-and-dime accounting could end up costing more than expected. We doubt anyone from HQ is going to raise a stink because they'll get dumped. But others?

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31 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Overtime at headquarters for what? Sharpening pencils?

1/10/2018 12:16:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yea well it ain’t going to help them guys in narcotics and them gang intel and gang enforcement units.

1/10/2018 12:29:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fuck yeah, I'm gonna raise a stink.... I want every nickel !

1/10/2018 01:27:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Swiping allows the gold brickers to build their
taxable incomes, be able to to run an IRA on
the side, and build their pension benefits. No
doubt they prefer it because they work the time
clock in their favor.
Why pay an asshole for drinking coffee for 2
hours before their shift starts?

1/10/2018 01:56:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Of course it will cost the city more. Everything this city or county accounts for , either doesn't reach an expected savings/ revenue/ etc. or goes over budget and costs more..

1/10/2018 02:46:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Insist on dropping a yellow slip or come out on the street and do some police work. Problem solved.

1/10/2018 03:01:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Like any other contract the city enters into, there's a second component rarely discussed. Most automated systems are based on a generic software that excludes the actual application that drives the system. So the city pays the consultant extra for that. Then once the system is up and running, you have the service contract that monitors, and updates software upgrades to the system. And that portion of the contract starts looking like a bunch of gel haired tac guys jumping on a disorderly pinch.

So for all the crowing about the money saving efficiencies of automating previously manual tasks, the back end loads up and offsets any savings of the front end. Kind of like an elephant that eats peanuts and gets the shits.

The swiping of the ID and the "geometry of your hand on a scanner has been effect in other departments for almost 15 years and the savings are offset by manual over-rides to the system.

1/10/2018 05:16:00 AM  
Blogger Mr. SouthSide said...

Technology can be your friend.

1/10/2018 05:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

“Swiping allows the gold brickers to build their
taxable incomes, be able to to run an IRA on
the side, and build their pension benefits. No
doubt they prefer it because they work the time
clock in their favor.
Why pay an asshole for drinking coffee for 2
hours before their shift starts?”

Clearly an anti-police troll. OT doesn’t count towards pension and if you are in a public pension fund you can’t have a traditional IRA.

So GFY.

1/10/2018 05:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That method only seems to work for the connected. Tomorrow never comes. Put in those yellow slips my retirement payment is awesome. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. 4 big paychecks the first four years of retirement.

1/10/2018 05:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wait until someone figures out the admin time used trying to correct all the errors this system has. Hours spent by supervisors trying to get the officers the correct pay. Missing o.t. Payments, even not being paid for regular days. Be prepared for massive headaches. Hope every timekeeper has extra aspirin around.

1/10/2018 06:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gang Intel has become the new citywide TRU!

1/10/2018 07:01:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Swiping will save, not cost. Think about all of the additional manpower that will be available. The FOP should be all for this system to ensure proper staffing. And this story you tell here is but a bill of goods. How often is a PO actually working beyond the extended half hour everyone is suooosed to work but in actuality never does? Hardly ever. But pull up a PDT district inquiry on any given day and see how’s many late lunch log outs happen about 45 minutes before end of watch! Sorry but 9 for 9 is coming and long over due. I know it’s not desired but unfortunately the days of 75% of Tact Teams being gone before midnight are coming to an end...and I think for officer safety, manpower, and common sense reasons this is a good thing. There is literally zero explanations available to counter this. Welcome to the digital world boys and girls.

1/10/2018 07:34:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Yea well it ain’t going to help them guys in narcotics and them gang intel and gang enforcement units.

Huh?? Help them guys with what?? Them guys in said units are laughing whole heartedly at the entire department on a daily basis. Them guys don't need help from anything or anyone.

1/10/2018 08:35:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

swiping in early or staying overtime does not in of itself result in overtime pay. You will have to be approved by a supervisor. And, supervisors have a key and a code to get into the machines to alter them

1/10/2018 08:36:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hahaha. I was wondering why a training bulletin that is dated from November just dropped onto the website that discusses overtime! Guess that's why. And how come that training bulletin on Taser use magically disappeared? Also the appearance and disappearance of the foot pursuit bulletin? Something strange is a foot over at 124!

1/10/2018 09:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Caps office is exempt from swiping WHY?

1/10/2018 09:29:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...


OT must be approved before it is worked.
If your shift ends at 1700 hrs and you swipe out at 1800 hrs
does not mean you worked an hour OT.
A person may have forgot to swipe out and gone back to swipe
so they don't get written up fo not swiping.
A person could have gotten into a long personal phone call at the end of shift.
A person may do personal stuff on the computer after hours.
Maybe they fell asleep.
There are many reasons a person doesn't checkout on time,
and they are not approve OT.



1/10/2018 09:47:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wait till this crap comes to the districts, I am going to get a least 15 minutes of OT everyday I work!

1/10/2018 11:33:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Swiping allows the gold brickers to build their
taxable incomes, be able to to run an IRA on
the side, and build their pension benefits. No
doubt they prefer it because they work the time
clock in their favor.
Why pay an asshole for drinking coffee for 2
hours before their shift starts?


Why not, your paying them to drink coffee and not much more during there regular 8 hours

1/10/2018 11:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I once worked municipal union with "swiping". Here is how it worked - rounding. 7:53 to 8:06 was 8:00. Likewise, 4:23 to 4:36 was 4:30.
There were three kinds of people on the job.

1) There were the workers who arrived and swiped in a little before 8 and left right after half past 4. You know, honest workers.

2) There were the chiselers who would stand at that clock until 8:06 and were there at 4:20 to wait for 4:23.

3) Then there were the soakers, always swiping in at 7:52 and swiping out at 4:37. Yup, 15 minutes OT in the AM and 15 minutes in the PM, every day. Ironically, these were the tools who did the least during the day, I know what a shocker, right?

SCC is correct here, on all accounts. It IS the BEST to have Chain of Command work this out int he wash - meaning that a extra half hour or so today translates to a long lunch tomorrow or even a early out next thursday for that Doctors appointment or kids football game. In a HONEST profession like LAW ENFORCEMENT one would figure that this would be a gimme! But nooooooo, let's face it, far too many lack simple HONOR and thus the honor system can't function. What is the merit drama written about here if not an admission that the honor system IS not possible!

In a place where we are witnessing even teachers stealing from students funds, well, it follows that corrupt politicians are encouraging the same within the police ranks as well.

Cams are here, and they aren't going anywhere. So the best thing available is to have everyone swipe. Swipe with NO ROUNDING. Rectify minutes to the closest 1/2 hour once a month and transfer remainder to next month (or pay period). No milking allowed and no skating allowed.

1/10/2018 12:33:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Overtime at headquarters for what? Sharpening pencils?

1/10/2018 12:16:00 AM

No, for polishing knobs.

1/10/2018 12:34:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This Swipe Card program was a scam from the get-go and was administered only in response to highlight Rahm’s fiscal savvy and responsibility... that never existed.

I never squawked about a hour overstay without putting in a slip.
Still have to notify the WC (DSS)?
True, the chump change adds up so it’s best to make that 15-30 or 60 minute overstay stretch to a 3 hour minimum.
But that was in the past. More front office shenanigans are to be expected to stymie those daily short overstays.
Extending the quitting time is one way.

Keeping the house mice contained for 8.5 is a whole other issue that will never be addressed.
The overriding or overwriting the HQ A&A system - that’s an tally I’d like to see published.

1/10/2018 12:56:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ever since I heard of the swiping bs I said “bring it on.” In the long run, like SCC points out, we willl make out better and the city will be fucked. So many times we stay 15,20,30 min and Sgt says “thanks guys I will take care of you tomorrow.” If the city starts paying the 10, 15 min OT here and there for all the coppers in the city that will add up in a hurry. This is what happens when dummies run the show and have no idea how it works on the street. I give it 3 months in the summer before the city realizes it’s biting them in the ass and it slowly fades away.

1/10/2018 02:47:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have said that from day one when they started the talk about swiping. Take away any discretion the sgt't/lt's have and pretty soon you won't need them.

1/10/2018 02:58:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Coming city wide in feb. should be fun.

1/10/2018 05:16:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Me and my partners gonna statr taking our contractually obligated 15 min personal from now on every day along with lunch i guess !

1/10/2018 07:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

here's how it works:
Generally you have 7min before start and 7min past end of shift. (whatever the number)
Anything outside those times is accrued O.T. It's either approved or unapproved overtime.
You get paid either way but if unapproved it generally means some sort of disciplinary action.
If someone has "the key" and rescinds your punch, this must be documented or it is illegal.

To the other poster, overtime does count towards the pension (at least with the State) and they have the option after 2011 of the IRA style or traditional pension.

1/10/2018 08:26:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Overtime at headquarters for what? Sharpening pencils?

1/10/2018 12:16:00 AM

No, for polishing knobs.


Heck, that’s no good. If they are good at it all they are going to get is 15 minutes. Never took me longer than that

1/11/2018 10:51:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Me and my partners gonna statr taking our contractually obligated 15 min personal from now on every day along with lunch i guess !

1/10/2018 07:08:00 PM

There is no such thing as a contractually obligated personal. A supervisor may allow you to take a personal...That's it.

As far as automatic overtime. Anyone that works late MUST put in a slip. If you do not, you never asked for overtime. IF it is denied after you officially worked it or there is someone ordering you not to put in slips, that would be a labor law violation. See Allen v City of Chicago.

1/11/2018 09:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You can’t deny pay for the hours you worked according to federal guidelines. But then again according to federal guidelines if you elect to take tme on the books instead of cash today to help your employer then when you decide to cash in that Comp time for cash it must be paid and your employer can’t decide to not pay you for 20 years. When I talked to the union and read the contract it says that we volunteer to not to cash in those hours and it’s a contract issue. Can you volunteer to give up your rights to federal labor laws? This could be huge for bargaining or easy to destroy in Court if officers want to. Hmm the city of Chicago violating federal labor laws.. that might make page 32 in the late edition of the tribune.

1/12/2018 11:08:00 AM  

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