Union files protest against biometric time-clock

Published 15 August 2006

Claiming that having to punch a time-clock is demoralizing and a change in the conditions of employment, union officials in Long Island City filed a protest against the city government’s use of Ingersoll Rand’s Hand Punch 4000

It’s not the sort of thing the writers of On the Waterfront had in mind, but some union members in Long Island City are hopping mad about having to clock in and out by inserting their hand into a wall-mounted electronic unit. “For me it’s demoralizing, degrading,” said one city employee, referring to his office’s recent purchase of a Hand Punch 4000 console, a product of Ingersoll Rand Recognition Systems. “They trust us with multimillion dollar projects, but they don’t want to trust us with the time issue.” Before, employees filled out their hours on a timesheet, so this is an abrupt change. The Local 375 has filed an “improper practice petition” with the city Office of Collective Bargaining, expressing concerns about privacy and arguing that the use of biometric technology is a change in the terms and conditions of employment that can’t be made unilaterally.

-read more in this City Limits story; read more about the Hand Punch on the company Web site