3 Monmouth County SCAT Drivers Suspended for Alleged “Sick Out”

Monmouth County suspended three Senior Citizen Area Transportation (SCAT) drivers without pay Thursday after receiving evidence the individuals were at a union rally in Trenton on a day they had called out sick, county officials said.

The three employees presented doctors’ notes as proof of illness, however officials received a photograph showing the individuals at the rally, county spokesperson William K. Heine said.

The suspended workers were three of 17 who called out sick from their department on Friday, Feb. 25, the day of the Trenton rally. The county issued a press release noting that 174 developmentally disabled adults were left waiting for buses that never came. The SCAT office used backup contractors to assist the 16 bus drivers who reported to work in transporting essential riders, determined by the office to be those who had medical and dialysis appointments.

"This action by our SCAT employees is offensive to everyone because it adversely impacted our most vulnerable population,” Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton said. "The Administration will continue its investigation into those who called out sick until we are satisfied that every employee who misused the county’s sick leave policy is disciplined within the constraints of the Civil Service process."

The county is continuing to investigate whether or not other employees may have misused sick time. The three SCAT drivers will remain suspended pending the filing of formal charges. Heine said the county will work within the state’s Civil Service laws to pursue disciplinary action up to and including termination.