UTILITY $OAKED FEDS: STAFF
By ADAM MILLER
May 29, 2003 -- A Westchester water-utilities giant ordered workers to falsify their timesheets to make it look like they did security-assessment work to justify a post-Sept. 11 federal grant, the employees and their union charge.
United Water New Rochelle, which is owned by France's Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, was awarded $115,000 in September from the Environmental Protection Agency under a program set up to assess the vulnerability of the nation's water supply and improve security.
Under the Safe Water Act, Suez had to certify by March 31 that it had conducted a vulnerability assessment.
But the company never did this, according to workers' sworn affidavits. Instead, the workers charge, they were ordered to falsify their records to suggest that they conducted the required 250 hours of vulnerability assessment.
The workers claim that their supervisor ordered them to fudge their timesheets between Oct. 20 and Feb. 2.
From Jan. 12 to Feb. 2, they said they logged a total of 190 bogus hours. Less than 20 of the 250 hours were actually spent conducting work related to vulnerability assessment, they said.
Their union boss, Manny Hellen, said the workers complained to him after learning of the company's motive.
"These union workers feared retribution, so they followed management's orders to falsify their time cards," said Hellen, president of Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America.
"But once they learned the company's motive, they could no longer watch with a clear conscience as United Water and its multibillion-dollar, French-owned parent company attempt to capitalize the tragic events of 9/11."
The workers are outraged over what they call an exploitation of the terrorist attacks and the federal government assistance that followed.
"I resented being put in this uncomfortable position," one of the workers told The Post.
"It was very upsetting to know that the company was going to capitalize on receiving federal money which was intended to train workers to ensure the . . . safety of drinking water against acts of terrorism."
The employees said they fear retribution, and would speak only on the condition of anonymity.
EPA spokesman John Millett said that under the Safe Water Act, the company could face penalties of up to $25,000 a day if the agency finds it submitted false information.
Ulises Diaz, a spokesman for the water company, acknowledged there was a problem, but denied that the supervisor ordered workers to falsify their timesheets.
He added that there were only 60 hours of work in question.
"We found out about it in February and rectified it," said Diaz.
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