CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9 investigated Charlotte Water and its employees. A viewer urged Eyewitness News to look into the overtime hours some of the workers are receiving.
There’s no denying Charlotte Water workers have some of the toughest jobs in the city and deal with emergencies at all hours.
Eyewitness News found a few employees were making so much overtime that one almost doubled his salary in the past year.
Eyewitness News anchor Scott Wickersham dug through three years’ worth of payroll numbers.
In fiscal year 2015, out of the roughly 500 Charlotte Water employees who can earn overtime, 116 increased their pay by 25 percent or more in overtime hours. In fiscal year 2013 and 2014, the number of employees earning that much in overtime was 92.
Wickersham noticed several of the same employees earn the most overtime each year.
In 2015, a labor crew chief made $44,375 in regular pay and $42,338 in overtime. It boosted his pay by 95 percent for the year and brought his total pay to $86,713.
In 2014, the labor crew chief boosted his pay by 67 percent with overtime, and in 2013 he boosted his pay by 63 percent.
An equipment operator made $38,781 in regular pay in 2015 and $31,766 in overtime, boosting his pay by 82 percent. In 2014, his pay surged by 67 percent with overtime and 77 percent in 2013.
“I think there is more abuse in jobs like this, where the working crew is away from headquarters and away from the direct line of sight of their supervisor,” said Kenny Colbert, with Charlotte Employers Association.
Eyewitness News showed Colbert the list of overtime pay.
“That’s very, very odd,” he said. “It tells me either someone isn’t managing the store or maybe these people have skills that are highly valuable."
Charlotte Water Director Barry Gullet said managers approve overtime.
“If we have a water main break or backup and a crew is out there working and their eight hours are up and they have a few more hours to finish, they don’t pack up and leave you without water,” he said. “They finish what they are doing.”
Some workers have special skills or are more available. Gullet points to recent events, like the water main break in uptown before the Panthers won the NFC championship, that led to overtime.
A lengthy investigation into PCB dumping two years ago also led to overtime.
An audit on all city departments found 99.55 percent of the overtime was in the acceptable range.
What about the labor crew chief who doubled his salary in 2015? That worker would have to average 25 hours of overtime a week for the entire year to make that happen.
“How confident are you that your employees are not gaming the system, that someone isn’t milking overtime and trying to pad their paycheck?” Wickersham asked.
“The audit report specifically said they found no evidence of that anywhere in the city,” Gullet said. “And I don’t have any reason to believe that’s a problem in Charlotte Water.”
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