Some way, some how, pay staff

Roundup Editorial Staff

Why are so many full and part-time workers, provisional workers and student workers at Pierce and all around the LACCD not getting paid on a regular basis?

Over the past two weeks, The Roundup staff has heard a variety of stories from workers being overpaid, underpaid or not paid at all.

According to sources, the problem is with the payroll system.

However, this issue has been a problem for nearly 18 months.

We’re still wondering why it has not been corrected and explained.

While each situation seems to have an explanation, people don’t want to hear explanations — they want to get paid when they should be.

Is this a concept too hard to grasp? Perhaps they should just implement unique software for tracking staff hours so that they wouldn’t possibly get the working hours wrong.

It took a lawsuit filed by the teachers union against this district to react.

One teacher who came into The Roundup described some particularly disturbing consequences of not being paid.

This professor reported being pulled over for an expired vehicle registration sticker, which she had been unable to renew because of an empty bank account.

The teacher avoided a ticket after showing the sheriff’s officer a copy of The Roundup story about the payroll problems.

It’s not right for workers, no matter their position, to not get paid in a timely fashion.

Whether it is the chancellor or a part-time student employee, both have bills to pay and mouths to feed.

There is no excuse to make them wait several weeks or even months to get paid.

Since this “new” payroll system is causing so many problems, why isn’t it fixed or … done away with? Plenty of other payroll platforms exist, such as Cloudpay and many more to choose from.

We understand this is a complicated, expensive issue involving a $6 million program.

But, like any other investment, you must learn when to cut your losses.

We may soon be looking at a ripple effect. Just like any disturbance in the water, the impact expands outward.

Two weeks ago it was cafeteria cooks on strike.

What’s next?

Students showing up to classes with professors who refuse to teach because their cars are in the process of being repossessed?

Are part-time student workers going to have to drop classes and find another job to support their education?

As of this writing, there were still cafeteria employees who had not been paid in eight weeks.

What is going to happen if someone loses his or her home or apartment?

Are employees going to be re-reimbursed for bank overdraft fees?

Or compensated for their ensuing lowered credit ratings?

How is it that this district is asking for millions more to add to the funds of the master plan at Pierce, but cannot properly pay its employees?

When is the district going to straighten out this “payroll problem?”

What are you waiting for, another lawsuit?

Hop to it and pay your employees before the ripple turns into a whirlpool.