Teachers union files lawsuit over computer pay snafu

The Los Angeles teachers union has gone to court in an effort to force the Los Angeles Unified School District to immediately take steps to correct the continuing delays or errors in payroll resulting from a $95-million computerized system that began operating in February.

The Superior Court lawsuit, filed Thursday by United Teachers of Los Angeles, alleges that defects in the system have unacceptably delayed paychecks for thousands of employees. It also alleges that when many of the checks have arrived, they have been for less than or more than the salaries would require.

Though district officials have acknowledged problems with the system and announced efforts to correct the mistakes, the lawsuit claims the district has not dedicated enough resources to the snafu.

As such, the suit says, the district should establish emergency pay centers to assist employees, appoint a special master to pinpoint the amount owed to them and take other steps to resolve the pay problem while the system’s operations are being corrected.