Metro-North Payroll Controversy

It seems as though if you are working at Metro-North Railroad, you are part of the family or something of the sort. What seems to have caused controversy has only gotten even bigger as officials have confirmed that a number of the big names for the railroad also have relatives who are working for it as well. These bigger names, those who are higher up on the ranks, have several relatives who are receiving pay and are listed on payroll. While officials confirmed that this was true, they also pointed out that there is nothing wrong with it, stating that the policy does not say relatives cannot be employed.

Just a week ago, the Daily News decided it was going to do its research, brought on by an audit that ending up proving one of the Metro-North executives, known as Sherry Herrington, had gotten her partner a position on the railroad because she sent in a recommendation for the human resources director to receive and look over. In her recommendation, Herrington stated that she knew the woman, Stuart Moore, quite well and that should would make a great addition to the company but clearly never stated that the woman was her partner. While this may have sparked up some controversy, Herrington is not the only one with a family member working alongside of them. One of the staff members for Metro-North blatantly said that there are tons of family members working together.

One example would be the senior vice president for operations, Robert Lieblong. He has huge responsibilities and with those responsibilities comes a fairly decent salary, as he makes about $206,000 per year. In the meantime, he has also helped his son get a position, along with his daughter as well. The senior vice president for the Human Resources Department, Diana Tucker, also has a lot of responsibilities. Some of her work entails looking over resumes and scheduling a series of interviews when need be. Tucker earns a salary of nearly $113,000 per year. In the meantime, her brother also works for the company and has been working there for four years now.

The agency continues to defend itself, stating that in its policy, it is pointed out that when people are employed; they are employed based on whether or not they qualify and have the right kind of experience and skills for the position and that these individuals clearly happened to have the best qualifications for the job. Some beg to differ, believing that this is far beyond just a coincidence. In the meantime, there are some who support the family tradition that the railroads seems to be keeping. The only issue with Herrington was her failure to inform the human resources department of the fact that Moore was more than just a friend and was actually her domestic partner.