New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has fired a computer specialist after discovering she worked as an adjunct professor for years while on the clock.
The agency’s watchdog confirmed that the unidentified employee spent her hours teaching instead of performing her duties assigned at work. A complaint from a coworker about her suspicious behavior sparked an investigation into how she spent her shifts. The probe was launched in October 2022 by MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort’s office.
“For years, this employee had free rein to teach college classes during her workday without permission due to an alarming lack of supervision,” explained Cort, as reported by NewsDay. “All of the employees involved breached the public trust, and I commend the MTA for holding them accountable.”
Amid the investigation, the employee served a 30-day suspension beginning on June 25. The probe found that she had worked at a local college since Spring 2020. However, she did not have the approval from management to do so.
The employee finessed out of her shifts by not swiping out of the timekeeping system during her lunch breaks. Not only did she use work hours to teach her courses, but she also used her MTA-issued laptop to fulfill her professor duties.
Moreover, investigators confirmed reports by the whistleblower that the
MTA employee received overtime pay while on vacation. However, the employee’s role did not grant remote work. Despite this, her supervisors allowed her to telework due to a lack of personnel able to complete her duties in person.Upon the investigators’ findings, two of her supervisors, the Deputy Chief Officers of Technology and Information, respectively, were also fired in April for not noticing the breach in work responsibilities. Her other supervisor, who oversees timekeeping and payroll, received a written warning.
It remains unclear if the MTA will also terminate the employee or if she will still work as a professor.
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