Controller rejects cash for Hyder

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith said he has refused a request to pay former county deputy prison warden Sam Hyder an additional $5,284 for unused vacation, sick and personal time.

The issue came up because prison assistant business manager Jackie Grimes sent Griffith an e-mail Thursday saying prison records indicate that Hyder is owed $5,284 for unused time.

County managers with Hyder’s experience are entitled to 18 sick days per year, with the ability to carry them over from year to year, under the county’s personnel policy.

Managers may also qualify for 15 vacation days and five personal days. Employees may carry over up to 20 vacation days and can’t carry over any personal days.

The prison implemented the personnel policy in 2006, employees say. That means Hyder should have had no more than 112 days when he stopped working Aug. 5 – 72 sick days, 35 vacation days and five personal days.

But Grimes said former prison warden Gene Fischi allowed prison management employees to receive credit for an additional 36 sick days when the personnel policy was implemented in 2006. Also, Hyder may also have to be credited for seven holidays that occurred between Aug. 5 and his furlough.

Grimes said she instructed another staffer to again review Hyder’s work history and compile a report for the administration. She met with the administration Friday afternoon to discuss the matter, stressing it will be up to county officials to ultimately decide whether Hyder is entitled to reimbursement.

Grimes said Hyder has not requested the reimbursement. She said she sent the request as a matter of course because the prison has traditionally reimbursed employees for unused time when they leave.

Her e-mail to Griffith said the office had determined that Hyder is entitled to 76 hours of vacation time at $2,713, 56 hours of sick time at $1,999.39 and 16 hours of personal time at $571.26 -- for a grand total of $5,284.

The prison has supplied records in the past indicating that Hyder had 68 sick days and 21 vacation days left as of Sept. 21, which would take him through the third week of January.

Griffith said information from the prison is contradictory because prison officials had recently informed him that Hyder had no more additional compensation owed.

“There are clearly problems with documentation of sick leave in the prison and throughout the county, and that’s why people are walking away with big reimbursement checks when they leave,” Griffith said.

He recently issued a directive demanding a report on all unused time owed to all employees as of Jan. 1.

Hyder, who was hired for the deputy warden position in 2004, is attempting to get on worker’s compensation, arguing that working conditions made him stressed, anxious and depressed and ultimately led to his Aug. 5 blackout. Another hearing was scheduled for March 9, in part because the county wants to call witnesses to rebut Hyder’s testimony.