A Baltimore Department of Public Works supervisor left work but still collected overtime pay 51 times in six months.
According to a synopsis of an investigation report issued Tuesday by the Office of the Inspector General, a review of entry and exit swipes between May and October 2022 found 51 instances of the supervisor leaving a DPW facility more than an hour before the end of their reported overtime shift.
“It was alleged that the supervisor was leaving scheduled Sunday overtime to attend church and returning shortly before the end of the shift,” Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming said in the synopsis.
The supervisor denied the allegation and told investigators they went to church on two Sunday overtime shifts during their lunch break and returned to the facility for the remainder of the shift, according to the synopsis. However, according to a letter from Interim DPW Director Richard Luna to Cumming, DPW’s human resources conducted an investigation and substantiated all claims outlined in the investigation report, although neither the synopsis nor Luna’s response specifies the extent of disciplinary action.
“[Human resources] has advised management to proceed with the necessary disciplinary actions per the city’s policies and any applicable regulations and standards,” Luna wrote.
The supervisor, who is not named in the synopsis and whose name is redacted in Luna’s response, also violated city policy by reporting weekend shifts as call-back overtime, which applies only when an employee who has completed a regular shift is unexpectedly called back to work after leaving. According to a synopsis of the report, employees receive compensation for a minimum of four hours for any call-back overtime.
The supervisor also admitted to not following an overtime equalization chart, which ensures that overtime opportunities are first offered to employees with the fewest overtime hours.
