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Payroll clerks press commission over unpaid overtime and alleged retaliation
Summary
Payroll clerks and union representatives urged the San Francisco Police Commission to investigate unpaid overtime, alleged managerial hostility and delayed grievance processing, saying a Step 3 grievance filed April 3 has received no timely city response.
Public commenters and several payroll clerks pressed the San Francisco Police Commission on July 8, 2009, over unresolved overtime pay and what they described as retaliatory treatment from management.
"We are asking simply that we, 1, stop working free time. 2, get paid for our work. 3, get adequate staffing," Frank Martin Del Campo, the union representative, told commissioners, saying the grievance was moved to the city (Step 3) on April 3 and that the city had not responded within the contract time frames.
Payroll workers described a sequence of operational problems and health impacts. "We have been severely scrutinized for the complicated payroll of the police department," Leticia Hutchinson, a payroll clerk, said, adding that clerks are experiencing wrist, shoulder and neck pain and that overtime requests have gone unanswered. Sofa Ni, another clerk, warned that the pressure to enter large volumes of data rapidly risks payroll errors.
Commissioners acknowledged limits to their authority on day-to-day departmental operations but asked the department to provide status updates. President Marshall said the commission lacks statutory power to intervene in internal personnel processes but invited Chief Cohen or a designee to brief the commission on the grievance timeline so the commission can monitor the process.
Chief or department staff told the commission that the matter has been assigned to the Department of Human Resources and an employee-relations representative. "It has been assigned to Miss Christina Fong, the senior employee relations representative, and the ERD case number is 38DashO92021," a department representative said during the meeting.
What happened next: Commissioners asked the department for periodic updates about the grievance process and for clarification on staffing and whether approved positions exist that could be filled to relieve the payroll unit. No formal commission action (motion or vote) to compel departmental changes was recorded at the meeting.
Why it matters: Payroll clerks say unresolved pay and staffing issues are creating health and workplace-safety risks and could affect accuracy of pay for officers and civilians across the department. The union characterized the department response so far as insufficient and asked the commission to ensure the process moves forward under contract timelines.
Next steps: The commission asked the department to provide a status update on the grievance and to report back on staffing and any budgeted, unfilled positions that could be used to relieve the payroll unit.
