10 July 20-26, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents the project and meet with the City Plan Commission in the coming weeks to discuss its reservations. ▼ LABOR ‘TREATED WORSE THAN INMATES’ MANY DALLAS COUNTY EMPLOYEES STILL MISSING PAY AFTER 2 MONTHS. BY KELLY DEARMORE F or the past two months a significant number of Dallas County employees have been receiving incomplete pay- checks, or in some cases, no paychecks at all. Since May 13, the county has blamed the failed rollout of an updated Kronos payroll system for the errors occurring in checks for some sheriff’s deputies, correctional officers and expert witnesses, among other positions. On that first day of paycheck problems, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins told The Dallas Morning News, “We apolo- gize that the update to our Kronos system left some people unpaid, and we don’t ex- pect it will happen again.” It did happen again. And has continued to happen for several pay periods. Initially, according to sources, some em- ployees affected by the software error were notified there might be a problem with their May 13 paycheck a day or two in advance. In those cases, they were also told any missing amount would be paid on the following pay- check, although that has yet to happen. Oth- ers found out that their paychecks were light only when they saw the amount in their bank accounts after the checks had been directly deposited. “It’s been an absolute fiasco, in every sense of the word,” says one current full- time county employee, who requested ano- nymity out of fear of retribution. “When this first started, one of the higher-ups told a bunch of people that ‘it’s all under con- trol,’ but it clearly hasn’t been.” A reported 201 people have been af- fected by the error. Some employees have not been paid at all, while some say they have received only the same amount of pay they received on the check before May 13, which has resulted in a great deal of man- dated overtime hours not being paid prop- erly. Each of the county employees the Observer spoke to said the May 13 paycheck was the first time they experienced any problems with being paid accurately and on time. The payroll errors extend beyond just dollar amounts. Problems regarding vaca- tion pay and vacation time accrual have cre- ated headaches the entire summer, when many families make plans that require vaca- tion requests to be approved by a superior who relies on the Kronos system. On July 6, WFAA reported that “one county employee received a court summons for failing to make child support payments which should’ve been automatically deducted from his paycheck.” The Department of Labor has opened an investigation into the matter. A spokesman for the department confirmed there is an ongoing investigation but was unable to dis- cuss the matter further. Dallas County Audi- tor Darryl Thomas, who oversees payroll, did not return our call for comment. When reached for comment and pre- sented with questions, Lewis Jenkins’ office provided the Observer with a statement that has been given to other media outlets. The judge said, “Obviously it’s important that all are paid fully and on time. Dallas County is working to fix this issue and will cooperate fully with the Department of Labor.” As one incorrect check has turned into several, the added frustration of searching for answers has repeatedly added insult to injury in a number of cases. “I’ve sent several emails to the payroll email address we were given, but I have yet to receive a single response,” said the full- time county employee, who is now missing more than $2,000 in mandated overtime pay. “We’ve sent emails, and we’ve made calls, and no one gets a reply. And some have even physically gone to the records building and have been treated with disdain and disrespect.” In a July 7 email to Dallas County Admin- istration, Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown wrote in part, “While it is under- standable that implementing a new system may result in challenges, the magnitude of such has seriously affected the livelihood of many employees of the Dallas County Sher- iff’s Department.” A full-time county correctional em- ployee, who also requested anonymity out of fear of retribution, says she has experienced the disrespect her colleague speaks of. “When you think of how big Dallas County is, it just blows my mind that this is happening,” said the correctional employee. “I only found out something was wrong when I looked at my bank account and no- ticed the May 13 check was the same amount as the check before it, even though it should’ve had more money.” On multiple pay periods since the May 13 check, she has worked more mandated overtime hours than she did during the pe- riod covered by that last correctly paid check. The discrepancy has amounted to overtime pay, which is 1.5 times her stan- dard rate of pay. On June 1, she received an email re- sponse from audit manager Lavonda Haynes stating that the pay would hopefully be made up on the June 9 check or June 23 check, but that didn’t happen. That email was the only answer she said she has re- ceived over the course of several calls and emails. A few weeks ago, the correctional employee had grown tired of not receiving any replies. “We were given an email address to use for questions,” she said, “but I hadn’t even been able to get anyone in payroll to answer the phone, so I didn’t feel good about my chances of getting a reply to another email. I thought I’d do better by going to the records building and talking to someone face-to- face, but that ended up becoming a whole situation, and I still didn’t get any real an- swers, let alone a check.” She said she stood in line with other county employees who were seeking an- swers and, maybe, a check for their missing wages. When she was told by the payroll employee that no one would be getting checks that day, she asked to speak to that employee’s supervisor. After a heated dis- cussion, the correctional employee said, the supervisor agreed to cut her a check for some, but not all, of her outstanding wages. The supervisor said the correctional em- ployee would have to pick up the missing amount from the treasurer’s office later, af- ter the employee’s shift had started. According to the correctional employee, a few hours after she had been told she would receive a check for her missing money, she reported to the treasurer’s office, as did some of the other county employees she had seen earlier that day at the payroll office. The correctional employee said that the county audit employee at the treasurer’s of- fice reacted negatively to the group’s arrival, having expected only one employee. A few minutes later, the correctional employee and the two others were told that no checks would be provided after all. As the audit employee’s supervisor came out to inform the group that no checks would be provided at that time, two mar- shals and three security guards appeared. A call to Haynes regarding the incident was not returned. The entire experience left the correc- tional employee feeling humiliated. “We were treated worse than inmates,” she said. “I thought I was going to get fired based on how I was treated, just for trying to get my full pay.” Unfair Park from p8 Mike Brooks New software created paycheck problems. Flexible Healthcare Programs Vote for WCU in the 2023 Best of Dallas awards. We bring sophistication with a twist to the metaphysical and holistic markets with products, classes and services. We have locations in Dallas, Carrollton & Frisco. www.soultopia.guru psychic Hotline Now available: 888-415-6208 Visit us: 900 W Davis St, Dallas • 3414 Midcourt Rd #100, Carrollton 7004 Lebanon Rd, STE 106, Frisco, Texas 75034 Best of Dallas 2020 awarD wiNNer
