'Beat the Clock' foreman fired

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) - The janitorial supervisor caught on tape altering a middle school time clock , has lost his fight to keep his job.

In a decision released Thursday, the termination of Neal Emmett, the former janitorial supervisor from Cranston's Western Hills Middle School , was upheld. Cranston Superintendent Peter Nero said even though Emmett had a clean record, the arbitrator ruled his actions were a "capital offense."

Nero also said Emmett lost a separate battle to try and garner unemployment benefits from the state.

One year ago this month, a Target 12 investigation uncovered videotape from a hidden camera showing Emmett punching several time cards after he changed the time on a time clock.

• See the hidden camera footage

The tape, which was sent to the Target 12 Investigators anonymously, was recorded inside the custodial office at Cranston's Western Hills Middle School.

A voice off-camera states "I'm gonna bang these out," before Emmett is seen on the video entering the room. The video shows him removing the shell of the time clock, advancing the time from about 8:35 to 9 and stamping a time card. The video then shows Emmett advancing the time clock to 11 and stamping four more time cards.

Nero said during the arbitration hearings, Emmett claimed he would punch out the time cards because the staff needed to wax the floors of the school, which blocked the workers' access to the room where the time clock was stationed.

"The fact of the matter is you're in a position of responsibility and you're telling me you did it because you're waxing your way out of the building?" Nero said. "We're not that stupid, it's a totally frivolous excuse."

He said Emmett could still fight the decision in superior court but would have to do so on his own dime and without union help.

The school department and the union each spent $6,000 on the process.

Nero said they believe the video was shot sometime in 2008, about a year before Target 12 received it. Potentially opening the door to years of abuse, he said.

Only Emmett was disciplined in the wake of the investigation even though the video showed him punching multiple cards.

"We interviewed seven or eight different custodians and we have no way of knowing whose time cards they were," Nero said.

Also still a mystery: who sent the Target 12 Investigators the hidden camera video.

Nero said the lock to the time clock has been changed since the report aired.

twhite@wpri.com