The Postal Service processes payroll for more than 500,000 employees. To handle this monumental task, time and attendance information is gathered through the Time and Attendance Collection System (TACS). TACS then transmits the payroll data to the mainframe run by the Information Technology and Accounting Service Center (ASC) in Eagan, MN, for payment processing.
Recent news stories have identified a few instances where Postal Service employees have had time deleted from electronic time card records. There have also been other time and attendance instances where managers inaccurately calculated employee work hours for out–of-schedule work.
If you are a Postal Service employee and are experiencing similar problems or any other time and attendance issues at your work place, we would like to hear from you. Please take our brief survey or provide comments below.
This topic is hosted by the OIG’s Human Resources and Security audit team.
38 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- To All Postal Employees: It’s Time to Start Sending Time Thieves to Jail and Get the Unions Off their Butts | Postal Employee Network - [...] Having Problems with Your Time and Attendance Records? The OIG Wants to Hear From You. [...]
Leave a Reply
I have to agree with Zack. The OIG knows there are problems….why the “sounding board”? Why is this blog even needed? All you have to do is talk to any, ANY of the union branches across the country and they can point you to numerous problems they have been having for years with management changing the clock rings, etc.
This [blog] is a small forum that is dealing with a major problem. If the OIG really cares, please just fix the problem. Reading post after post of people with issues wont change anything.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Apr 24, 2008. OIG responded to my letter of TACS and lost earned wages, suggested to file eeo or grievance. The problem was my manager could care less about the UNION or EEO. To this day, it continues.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for taking the time to post to the site.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
This is an obvious waste of time. Just as an FYI, the OIG is likely aware of more than “a few instances” yet they address these federal crimes as an “issue” with a “blog comments section” and a “survey” rather than an official investigation into the complaints they have received. – RP
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Why not put our clock rings on Liteblue in the ePayroll section, so “errors” can be discovered sooner?
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
We’ve had the same problems here in the Kingston and Wilkes-Barre ,Pa facilities. We went through an AMP consolidation last year into Lehigh Valley and Scranton, and I’m sure the tainted data was used. Not only was o/t being deleted,but it was discovered that management was also falsifying timekeeping records by going into TACS and putting employees on stand-by time while they were on their bid jobs in a productive work status,and also working casuals without a lunch, then going into TACS and deducting a lunch from their hours when they didn’t take one. There were quite a few supervisors and 204b’s doing this, and I don’t think they all thought of this separately. Put that together with reports of this across the country, it is obvious to see there is no way these are isolated incidents. What is needed is a separate and independent investigative agency,such as an internal affairs division or something like Elliot Ness and the Untouchables not beholden financially or in any other way either to Postal Management, the Unions or employees. Being the Inspection Service and O.I.G are considered headquarters personnel,I have my doubts about the effectiveness of this blog.I would like to see someone who is in a position with integrity and knows where these orders came from come forward.I don’t see where theft and fraud are going to help save the Postal Service, unless the intention is to “Enron” the Postal Service, which is the way it looks.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Why Doesn’t the OIG simply Prosecute Time Fraud?
Why doesn’t the OIG prosecute time fraud in accordance USC 18 1001? I’ve never heard of one manager being prosecuted or fired for stealing an employee’s time, and the practice is rampant throughout the postal service.
You don’t need to publically advertise an audit. I’m sure you know that most employees are so intimidated that they’re afraid that you’re going to fnd out who they are through their IP addreess. If you’re serious, all you need to do is do a complete audit of the unit and district when time fraud is discovered, then start firing and prosecuting people as the law prescribes. That will immediately bring an end to the practice.
One employee at Bicentennial Station in Los Angeles reported that time had been stolen from her, and even provided the documentation with her manager’s employee I.D. What she got in return is demoted after YOUR agent reported the matter to her manager.
That was back in March, and at this writing the manager is still in place victimizing other employees, and the area manager who was a party to the crime has been promoted.
So if you’re truly sincere in this effort, revisit that case and make those managers accountable for their actions. After all, if a craft employee is found guilty of pulling a coupon out of the trash, they’re fired on the spot.
Eric L. Wattree
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i can say that OIG came and met with me personally, and they conducted an audit going back several years as requested by a Congressman. our union contacted upper management and the OIG before we filed our grievance. we as a union filed a massive grievance [which we won]. however, when the OIG reported its findings to the USPS for action they deemed appropriate, the USPS either did nothing or a slap on the wrist, even though in our grievance we documented thousands of violations going back at least six years, and EACH WAS A CRIME, AND THE USPS DID NOT CHALLENGE A SINGLE ONE OF OUR ASSERTIONS IN ARBITRATION. then, other offices in our district were uncovered, and for all i know, there could be more. the union continues to win grievances, but if this was craft employees swiping each other in and out fraudulently, they would be fired and charged with crimes. why are the rules for managers different, especially when they have priveleged access to this info. and are supposed to be held to and EVEN HIGHER STANDARD? as far as asking employees about the problem, we don’t have access to our clock rings, so what is the point?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
sorry for being so wordy, but it should also be noted that in the TACS training manual for managers, around pg. 28-30, it states that fasifying TACS records is a criminal act. that would include deletions, as well as false time disallowances AND not “allowing” time when it is knpwn that someone did not take a lunch.no manager can say they “didn’t know”. if you at the OIG really want to investigate this, then start with grievances and lawsuits. there have been many. do this in conjunction with the major unions AND management groups[because not all managers do this]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Let’s not forget to all of use that r leaving messages here the OIG works for management and any one who thinks different r fooling themselves. If u ever noticed when an craft employee makes a complaint with them they never show up but if management calls them they r there, so don’t be fooled.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think time scalping has been going on for years and the OIG is very much aware of it. I’m not so sure an outside service is the complete answer.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Why not put our clock rings on Liteblue in the ePayroll section, so “errors” can be discovered sooner?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thank you for the many comments you sent on our blog, “Having Problems With Your Time and Attendance Records? The OIG Wants to Hear From You”. We had more than 5,000 views during the first week it was posted on our external website. In fact, the volume and content of the comments helped the OIG auditors as they examined the issue.
In their comments, respondents expressed a great deal of frustration with supervisors because of this issue. Below, we summarized some of the more interesting comments we received.
A Postal Service manager deleted overtime hours.
The Postal Service should consider putting employee clock rings on Liteblue in the ePayroll section, so ‘errors’ could be discovered sooner. A clock ring is the compilation of recorded times spent on various work transactions from the beginning of an employee’s tour to the end of that tour; for example, time in, out to lunch, return from lunch,time out, and so forth.
A manager did not understand how to use the Time and Attendance Collection System (TACS) and subsequently enter supervisor hours incorrectly in the TACS.
At a Pennsylvania Postal Service facility, the manager deleted overtime and placed employees on stand-by time while they worked on their bid jobs in a productive work status. In addition, casual employees worked without taking a lunch, but lunch hours were deducted in TACS.
The OIG will provide the blog results to Postal Service management in an upcoming audit report.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
THE CLOCK RING SHOWED MY WORING TIME BUT WHY IT CAN NOT TRANSMITTED TO THE MAINFRAME SO THAT I DO NOT HAVE A PAYCHECK SINCE DAY 1 AND HAVING NO CLUE HOW TO GET 35% LEFT AFTER TAX DEDUCTIBLE? ADDRESS THIS SITUATION TO THE MNAGEMENT TEAM BUT THE SITUATION IS UNSOLVED. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!! THANKS
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Funny how I keep hearing that this is an issue. It has just recently happened to me and I feel it is stealing! If a supervisor enters your time in the system which enables you to get paid and the OIC goes behind him and deletes it he is obviously taking you money from you. This is theft and these so called issues should be treated as such!
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
It is about time something is done about this theft of peoples wages. It is hard enough to make ends meet without missing out on your correct wage.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
IT IS obvious that the OIG is Management and Management is OIG. You Take care of me and I take care of you. Internally it is corrupt at the CORE. Starting from the PMG. Of-Course the OIG will turn a blind eye to Management FRAUD.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
You should try facing this as a Casual/PSE/NFTE employee!! It’s like working in the cotton fields, or the picklin shed.. I have seen that first hand, as I worked in the deep south and central Florida in the early 70′s
“What do you mean you worked 47 hours last week and only got paid 41.67 hours?”
Like or Dislike:
0 
0