Second MTA timekeep clock is KOd

A second MTA timekeeping clock was vandalized as transit officials continued cracking down on overtime abuses by railroad employees, authorities said Saturday.

The screen of a timekeeping clock at the 38th St. train yard in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, was smashed, said MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny, who ordered an investigation.

“We will not be intimidated by illegal acts of sabotage that are only designed to undermine our efforts to ensure accountability across the MTA and protect taxpayer dollars from misuse,” she said in a statement.

The $1,500 time clock at the 38th Ave. yard was broken sometime between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Saturday, police said. The MTA Inspector General’s office was alerted shortly after it was found damaged.

Transit workers have doubts about Pokorny’s report, said John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union, which represents the bulk of NYC Transit workers.

The timeclock still works, Samuelsen said Saturday evening. The clock is located in a part of the 38th St. yard where workers pass by laden with tools and other heavy and bulky equipment — leading Samuelsen to suspect that what Pokorny labels as vandalism may have been a mere accident.

The damaged device is used to track subway supervisors’ time and is not used by TWU workers, Samuelsen and MTA officials said.

Pokorny should have made clear the 38th St. clock “has nothing to do with rank-andfile transit workers,” said Samuelsen. He added that Pokorny “is very interested in getting into the media. She should be more interested in uncovering facts.”

On Tuesday, MTA officials found a cut ethernet cord on an employee time-keeping device at the Long Island Rail Road’s Jamaica terminal.

Anyone who knows about the vandalism at the Brooklyn train yard can call a special tip line at (800) 682-4448.