He gets a salary for doing nothing
February 12, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Dubious decisions, HR blunder of the week, Here comes the judge, Special Report
Few companies these days can afford unproductive employees. What would happen if HR found an employee who sat in his office all day doing nothing and got paid a full-time salary?
For starters, the person might be given something to do, or the position might be eliminated.
But that’s not the case for Randall Hinton, an employee of New York state’s government.
He sits at a desk doing little else for eight hours a day and is paid $93,803.
Hinton, a Native American, says he’s being discriminated against because of his national origin and retaliated against for having sued the state years ago. He’s filed a lawsuit against the state.
His job has been director of investigations for the state Insurance Fund since February 2002. However, he claims he hasn’t investigated anything or directed any other employees’ investigations because his superiors are blackballing him.
Hinton sued Gov. George Pataki’s administration 10 years ago, alleging discrimination, according to the Times Union. At the time, he was chief of investigations at the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and refused to leave his post to make room for a Republican appointee.
An official claims friction developed between Hinton and the DEC because he wanted to go to the police academy to become a sworn DEC officer, but hadn’t taken required civil service tests.
As part of a settlement, Hinton was guaranteed state employment as a director of investigations. He was moved from DEC to the Insurance Fund.
Hinton claims he hasn’t been given meaningful work because some leftover members of Pataki’s team still control the Insurance Fund in Democratic Gov. David Paterson’s administration. His former boss says those in charge told him not to let Hinton handle anything of substance.
Hinton was assigned to supervise a few customer service representatives. He complained that the task wasn’t appropriate for the director of investigations. Those employees were regrouped, and now Hinton’s only official duty is to sign one person’s time sheet every two weeks.
The Insurance Fund did recently offer Hinton oversight of private detective agencies hired by the fund. But Hinton dismissed the offer because he didn’t want to do contract assurance and work for an administrator who was in a entry-level management post.
E-mail set him off
The Times Union reports some of his former colleagues say Hinton was obsessed with becoming a cop. Hinton says he attempted to become an environmental conservation officer because that would allow him to retire to his tribe as a law enforcer.
If Hinton has been sitting around for seven years now without much to do, what caused him to take action now?
In November he got an e-mail from his manager that said the Insurance Fund wanted to recognize “the significant contributions and considerable role of Native Americans” and that Gov. Paterson had issued a proclamation for Native American Month.
Hinton says he wants his dignity back. For now, though, he doesn’t know how he’d get through his “work” day without his iPod.
Let us know what you think about this story in the Comments Box below.
Tags: lawsuit, Native American, paid for doing nothing, unproductive employees
February 13th, 2009 at 10:05 am
But there is NO government waste – none – I swear – our government doesn’t waste millions of dollars (if not billions.)
February 13th, 2009 at 10:14 am
I don’t know who is more at fault–the employee or the state department. It seems like everytime they try to give him work of substance he thinks it is beneath him and rejects the offer. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I would probably throw him in a corner and let him play with his ipod all day
February 13th, 2009 at 10:20 am
What a waste of taxpayers’ hard earned dollars
February 13th, 2009 at 10:25 am
$93,803 a year for sitting all day and listening to an IPOD? No there is nothing wrong with our government. Bailout – Fraud – Waste….all at the expense of joe six pack working two jobs trying to keep his head above water.
What a joke.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Actually, with the destructive influence so many government institutions have on the liberty and freedom required to sustain national wealth, it may very well be advantageous to expand this trend, and ask more public servants to do nothing.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I want his job!
February 13th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Obviously this department is not needed and should be eliminated. All employees should be given the opportunity to apply for any open positions elsewhere in the organization and should be given preference over outside candidates.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:36 am
He needs to be fired! We are all working for performance and clearly this person does not want to perform. I’m a minority, protected class, this incidents sets us all back.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I think Hinton is right where he wants to be. Doing nothing and collecting a salary. Otherwise, why would he continually be insubordinate – yes, insubordinate – and not do as directed in the various jobs he’s been given. If he really wanted to “do” something, he would take advantage of every single opportunity presented to him to demonstrate his capabilities. I can’t believe what I have just read above. “because he wanted to go to the police academy” – because he wants to retire to his tribal origins; give me a break. You don’t just get what you “want” – you have to earn it. This is really disturbing. If he is so bad and can’t be trusted to do a good job, and if he refuses to do work, he should be fired. That’s the way it works. So many people work very hard each and every day; many don’t even come close to his salary level, not to speak of whatever benefits he gets. I wish I could say I feel better after venting, but I don’t.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:37 am
As a Native American Indian, I don’t like hearing a story which appears to be not letting someone go to avoid a discrimination charge. Maintaining someone in a job where there is no work to be done is a misuse of state funds, which for seven years and only now becomes an issue because of injured dignity? Come on, bite the bullet and get rid of him.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:37 am
and we’re in a recession why? if we can pay people to do nothing—makes me sick, i work two jobs and my combined salary isn’t even a fourth of what he makes for doing nothing makes me SICK
February 13th, 2009 at 10:38 am
This is a case of PC gone awry. Also a case of bad management in the department. By givinig in to all the employee wants, the employee can not be held to any standard therefore the employee cannot be evaluated based on the merits of his work performance
February 13th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I would think simple logic would dictate that if he refused to do work of any kind that was given him he could be dismissed or at least disiplined by days off w/o pay until he comes around or quits.
If you work for someone – you do what you are told, seems like simple logic to me. Anyone heard of a position being eliminated??
February 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am
The voters in NY should be jumping up and down at travesties such as this. I would be on the back of my legislators who didn’t do anything about this. But then again, these same voters earned themselves Spitzer, Hillary, and Schumer – so it says alot about the intelligence and quality of the voters.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am
If this was at my business, I would fire him and sort it out later.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Right On, Ed!
February 13th, 2009 at 10:41 am
???? Give him certification as an environmental conservation officer and send him on his way.
I wonder how many others like him are on the payroll across the country.
Please pay me $93,000 per year. I would be glad to sit around and do nothing.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:41 am
That is a disgrace. It probably would have been more cost effective to payout his lawsuit than to waste the salary every year not to mention what message this is sending to other staff.
Nothing gets to me more than knowing that some load is sitting in an office day in an day out not doing a blessed thing and getting paid for it.
It kills me to think of my own husband who was laid off last August and would do anything for an honest days work/pay.
Is there a lawsuit we can file for lack of morals?
February 13th, 2009 at 10:42 am
YOU ARE SO RIGHT ED!
February 13th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Wow
I want $93,000 plus I could learn to wear an IPOD
February 13th, 2009 at 10:54 am
This is truly a disgrace, and an affront to all those New York State residents who are in need, out of work, willing to work, and have paid with their tax dollars, for this type of situation to exist for so long.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:54 am
This hits home with me. I have people at the company I work for that all they do is sit at there desk and email each other back and forth and talk on their cell phones and forward funny emails as well as flirt with the bosses. Due to the fact that my bosses just can’t seem to give HR a little authority to do their job my hands are tied. Meanwhile, they are laying off hourly workers who work their butt off. Makes me sick!
February 13th, 2009 at 10:56 am
This is a fine example of waste in government. This year, each and every State is screaming about the drop in budget revenues, yet I bet all have one or twenty cases just like this. Time for accountability in government.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:00 am
No wonder our great country is in such a pitiful situation. What a Crime. The very government that is set up to help us continues to hurt us the most.
Travesty! Is correct. It’s criminal absolutley criminal.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I appreciate your additional publication of this travesty. As a resident of Captial Region of NYS, as a lifelong overtaxed taxpayer of this state, as an individual who is keenly aware of the glut of state employees (notice I do not call them state WORKERS) My patience is at ultimate end with the overstaffed, overpayed, and hardly worked workforce of state, county, and municipal governments in this state. NYS has the highest number of municipal employees of ANY state in the union. Why should that be? I just gave you a clue, UNIONS. essentially a state worker can’t get fired unless they commit a felony, and the felonious behavior probably has to be committed in the workplace..then…maybe you’ll get fired, but only after a year long paid suspension, and then you’ll retire with a taxpayer funded pension. NYS currently has a former city police chief in jail for drug dealing, and he is collectiing a NYS pension. Hats off to Calliforina for furloughing workers 1 day a week. I guarantee NYS could slash 25% of its work force and you wouldn’t notice a thing, except the budget deficit might drop from 15 billion to 10 billion.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Al I have to say is: ” I LOVE NEW YORK”
February 13th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Just let him go. There is nothing worse than a disgruntled employee. The state owes him , and others like him, nothing. If he had been in the private sector, there wouldn’t be this scenario and waste. Fire him, pay the unemployment for a period and move on.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:15 am
He gives Native Americans a bad name. Shame on him!!!
I think he should be cut off with out another dime and sent packing.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:20 am
This is ridiculous. Can someone send me the information to sign up for a job like that. Also if you know where I can sign up for the stimulus package the government is handing out left and right.
I am with Albert Roark……lets just give him the certification and send him on his way. He obviously is sue happy and figures his nationality will back him. Its a terrible thing when this stuff happens because it make those valid claims harder to defend. Pathetic.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Hey, I’ll sit around and do nothing, listen to my iPod, browse the internet, for a mere $78,000 per year! I’ll save the taxpayer’s a lot of money!!
February 13th, 2009 at 11:22 am
The thing is, it wasn’t his fault that he’s not doing anything. He’s being black listed…kinda like being forced out of a position. I can’t tell from the article if there was a significant reason for Hinton not to be given “anything of substance” short of personal bias.
The hard thing to swallow is that the gov’t are the ones who create the laws and make our lives (HR and employers) a living nightmare trying to keep up, but they are the worst offenders of their own policies. I see it in local gov’t as well as Federal.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Obviously there is more to this story that is not being said – and IF it is – then he’s not the only one
not doing his job – which is in fact more believable. It goes back to policy and job description and insubordination – not to mention the following through with all of these. And I am with Albert give the gentleman the opportunity to get his certification and let by gones be by gones.
People continue to forget – who really is paying for this waste and mismanagement and be sure it’s not the Federal printing press – for which I don’t even want to go there – let it be known – we no longer have the old saying of: it get’s worst before it gets better – we no longer will be able to use that one – cause it is not going to get better it’s just a sign of the times my fellow colleagues.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:34 am
If he wanted to be a cop he should have taken the appropiate test to become one like everyone else.
With the economy the way it is how can anyone no matter what religion, race, nationality be proud of what he is doing for work or no work . My taxes are paying for someone to listen to their Ipod all day while so many people are losing their jobs. Give him some work and if he does a bad job then fire him. This is ridicules!
February 13th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I’ll do it for $50,000.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Gosh, I thought he’d be related to the boss; but no, the government is involved. I agree with Albert. Give him want he wants and let him move on.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:58 am
This just goes to show you that even though government systems create this type of behavior, a man can eventually get tired of stealing and selling out his potential for a bit of victim-based revenge. I wish it was an isolated event. I wish that all employees who sell out would see the light. And if not, I wish that every management team would do the right thing and shine the light in these dark corners of desperation and despair. This story is not a comedy. It is a tragedy with the possibility of being turned right. Economic crisis has a way of flushing out the Bernie Madeoffs as the lake of wealth is drained, exposing the cracks in the system.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Try doing HR for a government agency. Every public agency has these people, political appointees, perennial EEO filers, and those who know where the bodies are burried. They only do what they want to do and often find reasons to refuse to do anything. Career managers are told that you are not permitted to make them work. Of course I ran into a few of them when I worked for a fortune 500 corporation too. Managing in a unionized, civil service protected environment where it is nearly impossible to either reward good performance or penalize poor performance is tough enough without having to keep people motivated to do what they should with one of these jokers sitting in the middle of the unit coloring in his calendar and making personal phone calls.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
This is a clear case of the problems that government can cause when issuing directives. There were problems apparently, and the article states that “as part of a settlement, Hinton was guaranteed state employment as a director of investigations.” Guaranteed employment without ANY job requirements besides showing up for work. Everyone would have been better served if the settlement simply guaranteed his salary (a monetary award).
Mr. Hinton really has a point about losing his dignity and the courts played a hand in this. The tax payers are not served by this either. This “solution” needs to go back to court for revision.
A job is more than the compensation. We devote at least a third of our lives to our jobs. We need challenge, growth, and recognition. I would say that this is pretty close to modern day slavery; Mr. Hinton is not treated as a human being, but like a tool that was purchased and then put in a closet unable to fulfill its function. This is an “intolerable” situation where he cannot derive any self worth from his job, but he probably is dependent on the salary coming in. Meanwhile, as this situation continues, he is harmed daily as he becomes less employable and his skills get rusty.
This happens to many people to some extent every day and the courts have had a hand in those stories too. Imagine the employee has difficulty with their supervisor and is stuck in their current job and unable to leave because they cannot afford to take a pay cut or a decrease in benefits. They lose their motivation and do the bare minimum required. The supervisor is probably pretty aware that there are problems, but just ignores the problem because it is easier than dealing with the conflict in the workplace and possible legal issues.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Please – not only did he get a cushy settlement out of the deal, but he gets to decline work too? I want that job. Where are the people who take pride in what they do, and genuinely care about the results? Obviously not working in government. How is it that he can complain about not being in law enforcement, yet not take the required civil service exams the rest of us New Yorkers are required to take? I’m sure if he just took the exams, he could be “ushered through” to the position he wants, like so many other political lackeys.
State government at it’s best; no wonder so many people can cheat the system.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
This kind of thing makes my head hurt. I would write paragraphs about the thousands of things wrong with this situation, but I am at work, and unlike some people I do have a ton of stuff to do.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I am sure there are two (if not three, counting the truth) sides to this story. We all know how this works. He gets to say whatever he wants; his employer can’t say anything for fear of being sued for defamation. Could be more like blackmail than black-listed. $93,000 per may be the cheaper alternative–who knows nowadays, they may actually be saving the taxpayers money. Nice work, this victim racket, if you can get a piece of it. If only what “Dr. Raymond Stantz” (Dan Ackroyd) said in Ghostbusters were still true: “I’ve worked in the private sector. They expect results!” It may be worse in government but the trial lawyers and their aiders and abettors have made this a society-wide problem. What the hay? It’s all “stimulus,” right? Till this whole ponzi scheme collapses like a house of cards.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
It’s sort of like the Democrats ideas today on how to share the wealth. Lets make improvements to the infrastructure of this country, but in order to be sure that the money gets to the people who need it, lets not give it to the construction people, lets give it to the cronincally unemployed who wouldn’t know one end of a shovel from another, and don’t want to do the type of work that’s needed anyway. Until we get a government that doesn’t try to give away the earnings of hard working Americans to those who just want a handout, government waste will eventually be the ruin of this country. That why California is going bankrupt, and New York is not far behind.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
we have one of those too in our organization…………. gets paid $100k and does nothing
February 13th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I’d say Randall is the smart one. The one you need to blame is the Department he is working for. Eliminate the Position!!!
February 13th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I think Pat’s comment and use of Dr. Stantz’s movie line has eloquently explained it all best!
February 13th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Give him some meaningful work to do! If he can’t do the job, he shouldn’t have it. If he can do the job, let him do it. Why pay someone for doing nothing.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Interesting how many folks jump to the conclusion that the employee is at fault and generalize this incident to all of government. I’ve worked in the private sector and three levels of government and can say that these things can be more related to the size of the organization and quality of leadership that whether its government or private. Unfortunately, I have seen it occur more frequently in big government. The public pays for it either way.
That said, with the few actual facts before us, my first thought would be that whoever this mans boss is should be investigated. If there is discrimination at that level he’d be fired in my organization. One wonders why the employee wasn’t terminated long ago if there wasn’t some previous disciminatory action. Perhaps management is incompetent not discriminatory and is afraid that might also be discovered?
As for why the employee waited seven years, I’ve seen individuals put up with alot before they finally get tired of the treatment. Add the incentive of a $93,000 salary, and why would he want to jeapordize that?
In any event, this is clearly mismanagement at its height.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Darryl, I also am of American Indian Heritage. I can say in 30 years of business I have never been discriminated against because of my heritage. I have been accepted for my work at the office. Today in the private sector, everyone is too busy to worry about someone’s ethnic background.
Unless that someone is more interested in pushing the ethnic agenda than in sharing the workload.
This situation also reminded me of the TV scene of the Senators asking the bank execs to raise their hand if they had corporate jets. How many senators would have had to raise their hands if asked if they use private jets? This employee sitution just shows how ineffective our government bureaucracy is.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I agree with pat; it seems a victim racket; Content to “ride it out”, play the victim card when convenient. In this case, maybe he became embarassed by colleagues around him when they called attention to the “the significant contributions and considerable role of Native Americans” email that his manager sent out; possibly in recognition of a diversity related activity (we’ll never know). So, in order to “save face,” rightly or wrongly, Mr. Hinton felt the need to defend himself.
Waiting 7 years to complain – sorry it offended him, but it seems he was over it for quite a period of time. Those of us who are truly interested in a career don’t wait 20-30 years in an organization and say what a rotten deal they were handed; but rather, go out, re-invent themselves; go to school; learn all they can; and direct their career, whether it’s at their current business or elsewhere; not wait for someone to “give” them a career they felt they were “entitled”.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Wow — this is not only amazing in this time of economic turmoil, but I find it to be disgusting, insulting and pitiful. Disgusting because we’re paying an employee to do nothing and he accepts that; insulting to the taxpayer’s of the State of New York, as well as the rest of America; and pitiful to publicly announce this to the world! And, if other employees in similar “jobs” are not allowed to use their iPods at work, why is he? I could go on and on and on, but bottom line, everyone involved in this situation, and who has allowed it to continue for seven years, should be ashamed of themselves, including the employee!
February 13th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I cannot believe he has no sense of pride. Someone with good persuasive skills should talk to him to find a solution. He should be productive or he should be gone.
February 13th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? HIS SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT IS NAUSEATING!!!
February 13th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Since this employee had nothing better to than listen to his ipod, maybe it would help if all of the comments from this forum were sent to him. The reading would at least break his boredom. That is if he can read and comprehend. From the original article, it seems the entire problem is that the employee is not qualified for anything, at least too incompetent or lazy to get a certification.
February 13th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Another example of what is wrong in American culture. As HR, I see it almost daily: a sense of entitlement for more than what you are qualified/due, a constantly complaining workforce, and no sense of responsibility. This attitude is just continued by the apathetic effort not only at work but at home, so the next generation we hire will be even worse.
How is it possible to side with Mr. Hinton here? After a settlement, you get a cushy job, complain you wanted something different, and don’t accept work when it’s knocking on your door. Perhaps it may be why Mr. Hinton is not in sales; he would be broke and complaining about needing stimulus money to buy more tunes for his IPod.
I also have to agree it’s not just government; abuses are rampant in the public sector. The more money that is doled out, aka public assistance, to people and institutions, the less they will be able to do for themselves.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Thinking about it more, I do agree some with Wilbur C. And I am wondering what the circumstances were that caused the first lawsuit which guarenteed this guy a job for life with the state. There has to be more to it than a simple discrimination case…then again with the liberal judges it might be.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Very simply, give the man work to do, if he doesn’t do it, fire him. That’s what happens in the “real world”.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I agree that no one at any job should be able to sit around and not be productive. I think they should fire him for insubortanation. Clearly he must not have read his job description. The state should fire him with no questions ask. I am sure the people of this state are tired of paying for dead beats.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
This person should be given work to do, no matter what it is. If he is incompetent to do the job, then he should be demoted or fired. His superiors should consult an attorney to find out how this case should be handled.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Ok, so the HR perspective seems to be that you should get paid for performance and that a sense of entitlement is corrosive to the workplace (be it personal or union-powered entitlement). Got it! Now let’s move on so that “rukidding?” can get some work done. Someone has to labor tirelessly on a Friday afternoon in the bellies of our organzations to keep things moving. Unsung heroes are those that do what needs to be done without fanfare and not lost souls who get something for nothing and then complain that “nothing” is boring.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Response to Eva Comment
Your term real world should read “private sector” not real world. This situation with the employee is the ‘real world’ of government bureaucracy.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
As usual, this is primarily a management problem. When the the court settlement was proposed, the employer had to sign off. Since this situation has continued, I fault management with not having the courage to address the issue. This has to have an effect on the moral of other employees and IS a waste of tax dollars. It truly is not a wonderful situation for Mr. Hinton (beyond the pay and lack of worry for termination). He cannot advance, has no sense of acceptance from co-workers, no work challenges to keep him competent in the workplace. He gets up every morning and goes to work and knows that what he does will not matter and others resent him being there. It is a NO WIN situation for everyone. This should go back to court to get it right.
For those who really think they would like this job, think again. He has to show up everyday and face other workers who know that he isn’t producing or helping the agency. He is prevented from exercising any authority and apparently has to stay there all day. To cope, he is on his IPOD.
In most jobs where employees get on the ROAD Program (Retired On Active Duty), they find ways to occupy their time. Every slacker you have ever supervised was doing something. It just wasn’t something that helped the company or your department’s goals. The objective of management is to get all the resources (human and otherwise) to support the company goals.
That is the true measure of good management and HR, whether they respond to similar situations fairly or do they take sides and complain.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
First discipline his supervisor for dereliction of duty, and on up the chain, then put someone in charge of his butt, and on up the chain, who is willing to do their job, and either this employee or his attitude will disappear. This isn’t about this individual not doing their job, but a whole line of them.
February 13th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I agree with Sue; eliminate the department. Either that or restructure the department. There are so many people trying to make a quick buck these days. Employers need to step up, if someone who is not a minority is not performing, they would be written up and eventually fired. The same rule needs to apply to ALL employees.
February 13th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Every one seems to either forget or not understand how public sector employment works.
February 13th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Probably just the tip of the waste iceberg in New York. As an ex-New Yorker I am not as outraged as I would if I were still there paying taxes to support this guy’s ipod use.
February 13th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
“Every one seems to either forget or not understand how public sector employment works.”
I agree with Ed only so far. When I used to work in County Corrections, our Sheriff called a few of us into his office concerning some grievances we had. He was clearly breaking the law. He stated, “You have to sue me and win so that the county commissioners will give me the money to do what I need to do.” What he was REALLY saying is that everyone has to do what they need to do otherwise the system will not work. I’m sure that in this instance, once the court settlement guaranteed the job, it was written into the budget and then forgotten about it. If it is going to be corrected, the employees need to file grievances and a lawsuit, the supervisors need to hold him accountable to what the agreement says or if the agreement results in harm to the department, violate the agreement or challenge the agreement in court to get it revised.
February 14th, 2009 at 2:35 am
What is the name of good ole Randall Hinton’s tribe and ask them to reimburse the State of NY out of their BIA Funding, if the State of NY needs some help. Most Native Americans I know don’t have ipod and would work the hearts out daily to have such a lust position in State Government.
February 14th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I think he should be fired. If he isn’t performing then get his butt out of there. I work very hard and make nowhere near what he is making to do nothing. Just because he is a minority is no reason to WASTE taxpayers money. This is not fair to all us hardworking people out there to pay out taxes to support a lazy a??. Sorry, but it just makes me sick to think of it. The management should be fired too for letting this situation go on like this. Get him out of there and cut out the waste.
February 16th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Sickening!! Who does he think he is that he doesn’t need to take the Civil Service Test like everyone else to go on to the Police Academy?? What does he think makes him more special than me or you that he doesn’t have to complete the proper qualifications before moving on? This sense of entitlement is what is ruining everything for everyone else. Just shut up and do what you’re supposed to do! Is he afraid he won’t pass? If you take it and pass the test, then good for you!! Move on and earn your money for once. If you don’t, then you shouldn’t be going to the academy anyways. I’m disgusted.
February 16th, 2009 at 9:34 am
I will admit that I am very jealous. I would love to hold such a position. I wonder how many positions within our state and federal governments mirror this one.
February 16th, 2009 at 9:35 am
In the State of New York it is perfectly legal to fire someone because you don’t like them, so I would guess his bosses like him or they are ignorant of NY State Employment Law. Get rid of him. Everyone is so afraid of firing someone because of their origin they don’t even take the time out to study the options.
February 16th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Government employees are treated differently than the general private sector employee.
February 16th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
This is disgusting. Once again, the government is wasting taxpayer’s money and making a mockery of hard working Americans. If there is nothing for this man to do, show him the door. (No doubt he will file a lawsuit and then be awarded a huge amount of money.) Ridiculous!
February 16th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Think about it. Does he really want to go into law enforcement? No way. Why would he leave his position to take training and move back to his reservation where he would actually have to “work” for a living? And how would he ever get by making, what, $30 – 40,000 a year? Where would he get the funds to download music to his iPod? Does the government office need Native Americans for their EEO-1 compliance? I say they hire another Native American who wants and would appreciate the job and get this lazy, whiney bum out of the office and into the real world with the rest of us.
February 16th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
It’s a case of they are not spending theri own money. If the administrators in charge of this employee were paying his salary out of their own bank account and not the bank account of the people, he would have been out the door in a new york minute. I worked for the government and for the private sector and I can assure you in the private sector this would not be tolerated. Put private companies in charge of the government workforce and I can guarantee, the number of worthless employess would be culled immediately.
February 16th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I can’t believe how many have fixated on Hinton as the bad guy.
Imagine a situation where you are asked as the HR person to do something totally unethical. You resist and end up going to court. The court then decides you are right and guarantees that you cannot be fired, but your boss then removes all your job responsibilities and staff. The boss later offers you the opportunity to work in the mail room or help with janitorial duties (different from the job you as HR are trained) and your lawyer recommends against it because then the court agreement would not be in effect. So you go to work day to day with people resenting you, but you either quit and let the others win or stay.
Like I said before, there are managers here that have completely dropped the ball. They screwed up when they tried to force him to do something unethical. They screwed up when they accepted the court settlement. They continue to screw up when they don’t take action to correct this given the waste of tax dollars and the negative impact this is having on him and his co-workers. They screwed up by letting this get so far that this information is being discussed in this forum and Mr. Hinton and the department are being maligned.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I’m not certain that we can say that Mr. Hinton was asked to do something unethical, at least not from this article. All we are told is that he said he was discriminated against and he sued. We also do not know why the suite was not contested further, only that a settlement was reached (we do not know if the state plead guilty). Baring any request to be unethical, it is harder to cast Mr. Hinton a victim who refuses to quit fighting for what is right. He himself seems to have come to the same conclusion. Again, with the information presented, it is hard to know.
What is known is that Mr Hinton “won a job” that has turned into a lose-lose situation for the state and for Mr. Hinton. I must agree Mike R. that this sounds like a failure of the managers at each level to step up.
What is interesting is the level of anger and resentment that he has stirred up unwittingly. When I see the private sector rage, I can only wonder what would happen if private sector employees knew what other types of behavior tax money goes to support. I’ve never seen statistics, but I can only guess that the productivity differences between private and public sector employees is great given the lifetime employeement that many seem to enjoy. It’s a timely question since we face an impending expandion of government jobs without any mention of expanding public management skill and accountability.
February 16th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
T-money. your response was very well written.
February 16th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
What a great point T-Money makes: I’m sure much of the ire that is seen is related to not only the current state of economy, but also the potential for misuse of the addtional funds allocated to local government. Whether or not individuals responding work for private or public interest, most can cite examples of misuse we have witnessed in everyday life.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I clicked on the Times Union link and went to the paper to read the original story… there is more detailed information in the original. It actually made it very clear that he is being paid to do nothing – he has no internet, no fax, no laptop, no car… not much to work with… but he does have 27 years civil service exp. and can’t be fired without cause – and his bosses state no problem with his performance… We are all being suckered on this deal.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:33 am
If nothing else, what a waste of life. Anyone with an active brain or some personal respect would make some effort to get out of this doldrum.
The current governor has shown his true colors by giving generous pay raises to 16 staffers who he claims “occupy” new positions (just 2 might qualify) while at the same time urging all others to practice fiscal responsibility – so how can we expect him to do anything?
Typical – these liberal left wing officials (Patterson) continue to give us the “do as I say, not as I do” crap which is now more in vogue than ever. Losers telling us what to do……
It appears the state was caught retaliating against this person who now is content to waste his own life doing nothing as part of the settlement agreement. This is an enormous waste and requires another solution be negotiated in the interest of everyone. It may require legislative action and a set of stones that so far our representatives have shown they lack. This guy will likely die at his post before anyone does something. Welcome to New York…..don’t let the door hit your arse on the way out!
March 12th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
It appears that the attorney general of NYS is now entering into an investigation of the NYSIF operation in NY due to whistleblower information malfeasance and this outrageous example.
Bet that the contributions here served to propel the AG into action as well sensing some righteous outrage and a fresh political opportunity for HIS upcoming bid for Govenor
I wonder if the resignation of the NYSIF Chairman last week is a signal too?
March 12th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
It appears that the attorney general of NYS is now entering into an investigation of the NYSIF operation in NY due to whistleblower information of malfeasance and this outrageous example.
Bet that the contributions here served to propel the AG into action as well sensing some righteous outrage and a fresh political opportunity for HIS upcoming bid for Govenor
I wonder if the resignation of the NYSIF Chairman last week is a signal too? Action?
March 24th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Just to make a point for all you haters of NYS government. The agency in this article,(NYSIF), DOES NOT cost taxpayers a penny. It is a self sustaining company that controls its own budget with the money it brings in through its policyholders. The only people that should be outraged about this are the workers of this company that work hard and see someone getting paid to do nothing. To all those who claim this is a waste of their precious taxpayer money: Please do a little research in the future before shooting off your mouths with ignorant comments.
March 25th, 2009 at 8:46 am
It’s still a government agency, the copy below is from their web site:
NYSIF is a non-profit agency of the State of New York, consisting of two separate “funds” — the Workers’ Compensation Fund, created in 1914, insuring employers against occupational injury and disease suffered by their employees, and the Disability Benefits Fund, established in 1949, which insures against disabling off-the-job sickness or injury sustained by employees.
It may be non-profit, but at the top of the web page it lists Gov. David Patterson as the chief.
And we all know how efficient and productive government is – at any level.
March 25th, 2009 at 9:45 am
In some ways, it’s not really about whether or not it’s a government agency. That just adds fuel to the fire. At some level, it’s not even about the individuals involved. It’s more about the reaction people have to seeing others taking on a position of victimhood and setting up a situation in which there is a drain on society, robbing themselves and society of their creative capacity to make things better in this world by doing an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. The fact that this organization works to help sick and injured employees only makes the situation more poignant. It ends up hurting us all to see one of us failing to live up to their potential. But the flip side is that all of us also rejoice when we see selfless courage and contribution displayed on the job, as we saw in the same town with a different guy in Captain Sulley. Perhaps both can inspire in their own way.
March 25th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Yea, it’s a government agency — with $13 billion in assets. My point and point alone is that this company makes tons of money and wouldn’t cost the taxpayers a dime even if it didn’t. This company should be looked up to — Not vilified because there is an internal problem with this Hinton guy and probably a small number of other employees out of thousands. No company is perfect, even a company that proudly employs a hero like Captain Sulley more than likely has a small number of knuckleheads running around there as well.
To all those “Joe Taxpayers”, didn’t Sara Palin make us want to quit with the stupid Joe nicknames already? Don’t forget all those private companies out there that are really stealing from you. The list grows with all these bailouts… Too bad those companies don’t work as well as NYSIF does.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Insubordination…if he refuses to do work assigned to him he should have been out the door a long time ago. No discrimination act would compete against that. If the work was related to his job description than he does not have an option not to do it.
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
C’mon IW this is New York we are talking about!
The temporary govenor is trying to lift the medical malpractice judgement cap so his fathers’ medical malpractice lawfirm can benefit – so why would this travesty stand out when there is so much other blatant incompetence and malfeasance going on?
Someone was hoping this fella would simply get bored and quit – he sure proved them wrong. Maybe he could have acquired a masters degree or more online by now.
Hang in there….we now have total unchecked government expansion run amuck so it should (has) get markedly worse by the week. At some point soon even this fellow will be out of a job – with no appreciable skills. Just trying to lighten up your day.