Chicago City Worker Bribes Boss For Overtime Pay

The Chicago Tribune reports:

City Hall said Tuesday it is investigating claims by a laborer in the Water Management Department that he paid bribes to supervisors in exchange for coveted overtime.

The allegation surfaced during a hearing before the city's Personnel Board concerning the firing of another water department worker.

Laborer Richard Pacheco said he testified Tuesday for several hours and disclosed that he paid bribes to two bosses amounting to several hundred dollars during the last few years.

In an interview, Pacheco said that at times he placed the cash directly in the bosses' hands and at other times he tucked the cash in envelopes. He said he always made the payments around the Christmas holidays.

"It was Christmas gifts and in return I got overtime," Pacheco said. "It was quite a bit of overtime; more than others."

During one year, Pacheco said, he made $14,000 in overtime in addition to his base pay of about $57,000.

That's the Chicago way.