Most University of Alaska faculty paid on time after paperwork mishap

An unspecified number of University of Alaska staff, mostly graduate students, went unpaid last week because of “paperwork issues” that the administration did not detail.

Eighty-five of the University of Alaska faculty members affected by the paperwork problem were paid on time last Friday, university officials said.

The university said all remaining staff will be paid by early this week.

In a Thursday all-staff email, UA President Pat Pitney apologized for the problem and gave staff details about how the university would work towards a solution.

“I sincerely apologize to you and them for that uncertainty and lapse in operational consistency. I know it has made employees incredibly anxious and stressed. You deserve to be paid for your work, and none of this is your fault. We value you. We can’t do what we do without you, and I’m sorry for this frustrating experience,” Pitney wrote, in part. “I take responsibility for it and want you to know that it is all hands on deck from me and my office down as we resolve the issues.”

Pitney said the university would pull “resources” from other areas to help the human resources department work more quickly.

The university usually has two payroll runs, the technical term for all processes required to validate time cards and issue paychecks, per pay period, according to a university spokesperson. It added three runs last week and will add three this week, according to Pitney’s email.

In a Monday email, university spokesperson Jonathan Taylor said the paperwork issue was resolved.

“No employees remain to be paid due to the paperwork issue. The vast majority of them were paid Friday, and a small number have been or will be paid either today or tomorrow,” he wrote.

He said the remaining graduate students who have not yet been paid are still waiting on paychecks because of structural delays within the U.S. financial system, such as the amount of time it takes for transfers to occur.  The university asked its bank to temporarily lower the standard 48-hour hold on Automated Clearing House transactions to 24 hours to minimize that particular hold-up.

“The University has an influx of paperwork as the semester starts, just as part of the business flow. As of today, we’re about where we would expect to be for this time of year,” the email also said.

Pitney closed her Thursday email to staff with an additional apology, and a commitment for the future: “You all deserve better than this, and I am committed to making sure that, once we get everything resolved through this pay period, we address the root causes of this lapse in operations.”