Four Months Later, Oregon State Employees Can’t Pay Their Bills Because of Ongoing Payroll Errors

PORTLAND, OR - Four months after a flawed implementation of the Workday payroll system, errors continue to plague Oregon’s state employees. Many state workers have reported missing or incorrect paychecks, as well as delays in receiving benefits and reimbursements.

"My husband is a 100% disabled military veteran, and with inflation, we were already struggling to pay our bills. Add into the mix inaccurate hourly rates and underpayments of $600 on a paycheck, and my family is on the verge," said Candice Frawley, a Direct Support Crisis Specialist with the Stabilization and Crisis Unit (SACU).

"We are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. We are real people with real families and real bills to pay," added Frawley.

The issues with Workday have affected state employees across all departments and levels. Many workers have had to take out loans or rely on credit cards to make ends meet, while others have faced late fees and other financial penalties.

"I have been a proud state employee for over 34 years, and I have never experienced anything like this," said Marilyn Polston, a Direct Support Crisis Specialist with the Stabilization and Crisis Unit. “We need the state to take action and fix this problem, now. The bank that holds my mortgage isn't going to wait four more months for the State to figure this out, it has to happen now."

State employees say that the State’s response has been slow and inadequate, and are calling on the state to take more aggressive action to resolve the payroll issues and to provide compensation to those who have been impacted.

"We understand that implementing new systems can have challenges, but this is unacceptable,” said Jade McCredy, Oregon AFSCME’s State Program Manager.

“It’s been four months of constant errors that have seriously impacted the thousands of employees that keep our state running. The State of Oregon needs to bring in additional staff resources immediately to solve the problem now” added McCredy.

Oregon AFSCME believes in economic and social justice for all Oregon workers and their families. Our mission is to empower and unite workers to create change in their workplaces and communities. Oregon AFSCME represents over 35,000 workers in the public sector. Our members work for the State of Oregon in addition to counties, municipalities and behavioral health nonprofits across Oregon as well as self-employed child care providers. For more information visit: www.OregonAFSCME.org.

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