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2nd Bus Dispatcher Caught Calling Out Sick... From Puerto Rico
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 19, 2010
Modified Apr 19, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 19, 2010
Modified Apr 19, 2010
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Last week we were impressed by MTA bus dispatcher Giovanni Bonanno's brazenness in calling out sick for ten days straight while on vacation in Florida. Now it's being reported that Bonanno is hardly alone in expoiting the Family and Medical Leave Act, which requires workers "to provide documentation from a physician, nurse, physical therapist or other health care provider that they or an immediate family member have a qualifying condition." A second bus dispatcher on Staten Island pulled the same trick—while on vacation in Puerto Rico.
MTA officials tell the Daily News that bus dispatcher James Padilla was vacationing in the Caribbean when he called out sick on Thursday, April 1st, and Friday, April 2nd. It worked out well for him (at first) because his scheduled vacation began that Monday. But supervisors somehow found out, and his pay is being docked 30% for a month. "Most of our employees are unsung heroes, like the Staten Island bus operator who pulled a man from a burning car this week," says MTA Chairman Jay Walder. "The only way to protect them and taxpayers is to go after the people who abuse the system."
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bus dispatcher
Family and Medical Leave Act
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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