Luzerne County Government

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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All Luzerne County government employees – managers included – will be expected to clock in and out of work when a new time management system is implemented, all three county commissioners said Tuesday.

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Commissioners plan to vote today to hire Chelmsford, Mass.-based Kronos Inc., a work force management software provider, to install and maintain Biometric readers that will require employees to press their fingers or palms on a special pad to clock in and out.

The clocks should be operational in about six months. County Chief Clerk/Manager Doug Pape said after Monday’s work session that all rank-and-file workers will be expected to use the clocks, and commissioners would have to decide if any management-level workers will be exempt.

Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said Tuesday that no employee should be exempt from using the system.

“Luzerne County is a business funded by the taxpayers, and we must prove to the taxpayers going forward that we are transparent and accountable,” Petrilla said.

Commissioner Thomas Cooney concurred.

Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said the time system will be electronically linked to payroll, meaning that employees must clock in and out in order to receive a paycheck.

“I don’t believe any manager or salaried employee should be exempt from time clocks,” Urban said.

However, he noted that a procedure must be established to clock in employees who travel outside the area for work-related projects, he said. “If someone is going to a meeting in Harrisburg from home, I wouldn’t expect them to go to the office just to punch in,” Urban said. “There are exceptions when common sense will prevail.”

Kronos, selected from five responses to a public proposal, will be paid an estimated $410,160 to implement the system and a $45,140 annual maintenance fee.

County officials have estimated the system will save an estimated $1.5 million annually, largely through the elimination of abuse.

Urban predicted that the new system will also reveal that some managers put in more hours than they are required. “You will see some managers who are actually working extra hours and not getting paid for them,” he said.

The county’s personnel policy requires non-union, full-time employees to work 37.5 hours, with the exception of some mental health/mental retardation supervisors who work 40 hours.

The hours of union workers range from 32.5 to 40 per week, depending on the collective bargaining agreement.

Urban said the new system must be programmed to accommodate these differing requirements, and he believes the county should start switching all employees to 40-hour weeks.

“These varied work weeks have to end,” he said.

Taxpayers have been demanding time clocks for years, and commissioners have been tossing around the idea since 2004. Commissioners chose a Biometric system because badges could be scanned for workers who aren’t physically present.

The Kronos system will transmit payroll data electronically, reducing or eliminating the need for payroll workers to manually enter data about hours worked and sick and vacation time, county officials say.