Two LIRR drivers on Long Island were accused by the agency’s inspector general of cooperating to take turns skipping shifts while the other partner clocked in for the absent spouse.

A report from the MTA Inspector General, who did not identify the names of the drivers, details an investigation into the couple’s actions in late 2020 that resulted in thousands of dollars being paid to the duo for several days of work they were doing. they collectively ignored.

The drivers, each with decades of experience working for the transit agency, were expected to work together on the same train, one as a driver and the other as an assistant driver, according to the report. During an investigation in October 2020, OIG officials monitored the couple and saw them tampering with time records for shifts on consecutive days.

During interviews with the drivers, the report said the couple chose to cheat the MTA and keep a spouse at home to care for a sick family member. Last minute absences would result in financial penalties or disciplinary action for either driver, according to the report.

“Instead of just accepting the sanction, by taking sick leave to care for a family member, they chose to break the policy by not reporting the other’s absence and by falsifying the “Time records by beating each other in Kronos. Their deceptive behavior resulted in the theft of wages of at least at least $ 2,368 for Driver 1 and $ 1,045 for Driver 2 – over $ 3,400 for their household” , says the OIG report.

The investigation into the couple’s alleged behavior included four weeks of surveillance that overlapped with the October dates. In addition to the two dates discovered by investigators, the couple confessed to four other dates when one of the drivers stayed at home.

At the end of the report, the Inspector General advised the MTA to consider disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment for each employee in addition to fines to recover money paid for days not worked.

In the end, MTA officials suspended each driver for 15 days and imposed fines equal to the two days in October they were arrested.

“We take abuse of time and salary violations very seriously and have cooperated with the Inspector General’s investigation while taking immediate disciplinary action as soon as we become aware of this unacceptable misconduct,” said a door. – speech of the MTA. New York Post .