City: case closed on time clock scandal

The Director of the Department of Public Works tells Target 12 he’s confident only one part-time worker used a spare time clock found in the DPW building.

That worker no longer works for the city, but DPW Director Michael Annarummo says she wasn’t fired, but rather the city and the woman reached an agreement to “mutually part ways.”

“I talked to the employee and she said yes in fact she had used the time clock,” Annarummo said, noting the Woonsocket police turned the investigation over to him. “[She said] a sexual harassment situation had occurred to use the time clock.”

The real clock is bolted into a wall in the break room surrounded by time cards resting in an army green rack. The spare clock was located in another office at the other end of the building, away from the common area.

Annarummo said he disapproved of the use of the time clock and the woman declined to give the name of the city workers that were harassing her.

He said the woman has not filed a sexual harassment claim against the city.

The extra time clock came to light when City Council President Leo Fontaine was tipped off by a city worker. He tells Target 12 he immediately notified the police department who interviewed at least one DPW employee.

“I am going to ask for an update and an explanation why this happened the way it did,” Fontaine said. “And what else is being done in light of the other allegations?”

The spare clock, discovered on the shelf of a superintendent’s office, was set one hour ahead. Fontaine said the concern was workers could punch in on time, then clock out one early but get paid for a full day.

Fontaine said the woman’s explanation to the DPW director needs to be explored further.

“This certainly raises questions about how these complaints are being handled,” he said.

Annarummo said he’s checked timecards for the 42 employees of the DPW, encompassing the Parks and Highway Departments and has found no evidence anyone but the temporary office worker used the spare clock.

He is not concerned, he said, how many hours the woman worked.

“If I had money in the future, I’d use her,” Annarummo said, noting the money for her position was slated to run out this summer anyway.