PD PAYCHECKS and PRIVACY

[jasons]

You don't think the people that employ me know all that information? The public is his employer.

Are you being serious or are you just trolling? Sometimes I can't tell.

 

[atmay]

Are you being serious or are you just trolling? Sometimes I can't tell.

Entirely serious. As a public employee, it stands to reason that the public is your employer. That's the meaning of "public employee".

My employer knows all this info about me. How else would it end up on my paystubs?

Why shouldn't a public employee's employer (the public) know the same things about their employees?

 

[not new guy]

There's a bunch of personal info on a pay stub that the general public has no right or need to see. Keeping tabs on gross salary figures are one thing, but as has been noted, there's much more in there that would be considered sensitive/PII. Hell, even at my private sector employer only certain folks within HR and the finance person who does payroll would have the ability to see that sort of info. My direct boss probably couldn't even see it if she wanted to.

 

[Tyke]

Here's an idea: If you don't like the fact that, as a public employee, your employment information is public....go get a job in the private sector. My paycheck comes in a sealed envelope every time.

Otherwise, realize that when you signed up for a public job, shit was gunna be public.

You're missing the point. The data on his paystub is not public information. (Or at least it's not supposed to be.) Gross pay at the end of the year, sure. His home address, social, how much money he can afford to put into his 401K every week, not so much. I'd be pretty pissed about this too.

His home address is pretty public. Not exactly difficult to do a lookup on someone's name.

 

[DISTINGUISHED PISTOL SHOT]

Home Address? Although it might not be hard to figure out via the internet. There is actual.... protection / law .....for Law Enforcement People to have their listing "Blocked" in the City Poll Book...as an example. So really Public? NO....Tyke the Home Address is not Public. Yes the address can be known by co-workers and city hall staff, HR, Etc. But that does not make it public

BACK TO THE ISSUE: The issue is all the PERSONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION, to which the PUBLIC and the CO-WORKERS have no right to SEE or KNOW

NEWGUY , as posted above..... is right on

 

[DISTINGUISHED PISTOL SHOT]

YES AGAIN , the PUBLIC can read all about my GROSS PAY. And usually the City just publishes / releases it without a breakdown of BASE , DETAIL, OVERTIME. So its not explained to the PUBLIC....and of course they never realize that WE / I worked 80-100 hours for weeks on end , and live in the uniform, in return for that GROSS amount. But don't cry, nobody forces you to do it....NO WAIT...some cities do...because they have purposely undermanned the Police Department. They understaff, because the overtime is cheaper than the Extra bodies and their benefits. So then YOU DO GET FORCED to WORK.

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Why dont they use direct deposit, I thought most places were doing that now? Wait, that would probably save the town money, cant be having that.

Even with direct deposit, they still issue a non negotiable earnings statement with all the same information on it as a negotiable instrument. Either way, it should be in an envelope.

 

[DISTINGUISHED PISTOL SHOT]

While I'm worked up, Lets talk about another dirty little Screwed up City Hall cost saving Measure ( like saving on Payroll envelopes). Recently, City Hall has been Blitzing the Police Dept. with " DONT SPEND ANYMORE MONEY" and "THE POLICE BUDGET IS EXPENDED" and "THE POLICE DEPT. HEADS ARE REMINDED THAT MASS. GENERAL LAW makes it UNLAWFUL for Dept's to exceed their budget.

Really are you kiddin Me. So the PD should stop buying GAS for Cruisers because the price of gas has gone up , or maybe the police are driving around town to much? Or the police cars don't need new windshield wipers or new tires? Or the PD is running thru too much copier paper...because there might be more police reports printed as a result of citizen requests?

Yes, City Hall, We should conserve Budget Money........so that you can move it over to the School Dept. or Parks.....Yes, City Hall

Finalygotabeltfed , is correct in the above post

SORRY FOR THE RANT

 

[appraiser]

I guess they need to write some more tickets so they can get their split from the district court when the fines are paid, or maybe some drug seizure money, sell some seized property off.

Yep with 3 months left in the fiscal year it is time to start reserve fund transfers, send threatening memos, the usual springtime routines.

Don't get me going on School Department budgets...

 

[Wendell]

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ - Matthew 20

 

[Tim94gt]

talk to your union rep

This!

 

[mikem317]

I didn't read the whole thread but two words came into my mind right after I read the first post: "Direct" and "Deposit".

 

[appraiser]

and even with direct deposit, your employer is required by law to give you an earnings statement with your hours, deductions, etc, which in most places looks just like the paycheck, but the check portion is "advice" and the stub portion still has all your personal information on it for anyone to see if it is not in an envelope as it should be

 

[Boghog1]

and even with direct deposit, your employer is required by law to give you an earnings statement with your hours, deductions, etc, which in most places looks just like the paycheck, but the check portion is "advice" and the stub portion still has all your personal information on it for anyone to see if it is not in an envelope as it should be

My Earnings statement is emailed to me

 

[DISTINGUISHED PISTOL SHOT]

Glockaholic is right again. Even with direct deposit, the "Stub or receipt" looks the same and has all the private information. Union rep......Yup they have no interest in fighting the issue. Been there already.

 

[mllanes]

other than the tax amounts and SS# (if it even shows it), the information on your stub is not that hard to find with a little google searching, believe it or not.

 

[appraiser]

his point is the whole damn department should not have access to his personal info.

For example, Officer Cupcake is paying child support, has a court ordered garnishment of wages due to a judgement, has opted for he best medical plan (assuming his town didn't really screw him over and put him into G.I.C.), is paying the credit union 199.24 a pay period on an auto loan, and manages to put 50 bucks a pay period into PEBSCO, leaving him with 25.95 take home pay. That is not and should not be public information, nor should anyone he works with be able to know that by seeing his pay stub.

One of the joys of being a public employee is the whole world gets to know how much you took from the taxpayers. I am one of those people who got their payroll info posted on the Herald website for everyone to see. It goes with the gig thanks to F.O.I.A... but other than my gross earnings, nobody except the payroll department knew what I was paying for child support, what medical plan I had, how much was going to the C.U., and what I was putting into deferred compensation because somewhere around 1991 we bitched that people were seeing our personal information and got the checks changed so they were sealed.

 

[mark056]

As a public employee your salary is a matter of public record. It's part of being in the public sector. You can even go to someplace like the Boston Herald website, punch in my name and you can see what I made last year.

It's nothing to get too upset about, really. If you have a Shaw's or CVS card, the private sector already knows a whole lot more about you.

 

[n1oty]

his point is the whole damn department should not have access to his personal info.

For example, Officer Cupcake is paying child support, has a court ordered garnishment of wages due to a judgement, has opted for he best medical plan (assuming his town didn't really screw him over and put him into G.I.C.), is paying the credit union 199.24 a pay period on an auto loan, and manages to put 50 bucks a pay period into PEBSCO, leaving him with 25.95 take home pay. That is not and should not be public information, nor should anyone he works with be able to know that by seeing his pay stub.

One of the joys of being a public employee is the whole world gets to know how much you took from the taxpayers. I am one of those people who got their payroll info posted on the Herald website for everyone to see. It goes with the gig thanks to F.O.I.A... but other than my gross earnings, nobody except the payroll department knew what I was paying for child support, what medical plan I had, how much was going to the C.U., and what I was putting into deferred compensation because somewhere around 1991 we bitched that people were seeing our personal information and got the checks changed so they were sealed.

I can readily understand the need to jump through hoops to keep SSN's, identifying information and so forth from public eyes (primarily for fraud protection). If you have fellow public safety personnel (police or fire) rummaging through payroll forms in order to elicit fellow employees personal information, your department has serious problems that need to be rooted out. Police and fire personnel routinely put their lives on the line and literally place their lives in each others hands. A co-worker who cannot be trusted to avoid others payroll stubs cannot be trusted with anything more important.

 

[BeastlyAdams]

why not have every check in a sealed envelope? (like mail)

 

[DISTINGUISHED PISTOL SHOT]

The Paychecks used to be in sealed envelopes from the payroll company. Then the City discovered they could save money ( without regard to employee privacy), if they got the checks in "Batch" form and open to all eyes. The City is a multi million dollar enterprise and they save money on Employee Paycheck Envelopes? Give me a break. But really shame on them for their lack of respect for their employees privacy. But whatever,...I drove a cruiser today with 130,000 miles and there is one "Stapler" in the entire PD front office....paper clips..LOL!...forget it! We don't have those either.

 

[jasons]

The Paychecks used to be in sealed envelopes from the payroll company. Then the City discovered they could save money ( without regard to employee privacy), if they got the checks in "Batch" form and open to all eyes. The City is a multi million dollar enterprise and they save money on Employee Paycheck Envelopes? Give me a break. But really shame on them for their lack of respect for their employees privacy. But whatever,...I drove a cruiser today with 130,000 miles and their is one "Stapler" in the entire PD front office....paper clips..LOL!...forget it! We don't have those either.

They would save even more money if they joined the 21st century and sent your pay stubs electronically like every other multi-million dollar company. SSL encryption is better than any envelope I've ever seen.

 

[JoeyD]

My pay stub has plenty of private info on there, I wouldn't want it out there.
I also don't need to worry about it because of direct deposit and encripted e mail pay stubs. This is what they should be doing.