Home US LA firefighters claim they have been shortchanged thousands of dollars in pay as the fires continue to devastate California

LA firefighters claim they have been shortchanged thousands of dollars in pay as the fires continue to devastate California

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Los Angeles firefighters claim they are owed tens of thousands of dollars as a result of months of payroll errors - with some forced to take out credit cards and loans to make ends meet

Los Angeles firefighters claim they are owed tens of thousands of dollars as a result of months of payroll errors, with some forced to take out credit cards and loans to make ends meet.

Outraged senior LAFD officials claimed that colleagues were forced to take out credit cards and loans to avoid missing mortgage payments, with some reportedly owing $30,000 to 40,000.

Some in the organization even said they are having their salaries stripped away – with payroll handing out $200 instead of several thousand.

Meanwhile, as DailyMail.com reported, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley is accused of refusing to pay a $37,000 accidental overpayment, according to an ongoing lawsuit from a former LAFD attorney.

Firefighters shared pay slips with DailyMail.com showing the apparent errors – including fixing pay instead of adding it for overtime, and health care deductions that were reportedly ten times what they should have been.

LAFD personnel spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from those at the top.

‘They want us to work more and more, but they don’t pay us correctly. It’s a fiasco,” said a senior LAFD official, who has tried to help dozens of staffers with alleged payment errors.

‘It’s not a few thousand dollars per man, but tens of thousands of dollars.

Los Angeles firefighters claim they are owed tens of thousands of dollars as a result of months of payroll errors – with some forced to take out credit cards and loans to make ends meet

Fire Chief Kristin Crowley is accused of refusing to pay a $37,000 accidental overpayment, according to a pending lawsuit from a former LAFD attorney

Fire Chief Kristin Crowley is accused of refusing to pay a $37,000 accidental overpayment, according to a pending lawsuit from a former LAFD attorney

One firefighter messaged LAFDWatchdog in March 2023, saying they had received the wrong amount as of November 2021 – an amount of approximately $17,000

One firefighter messaged LAFDWatchdog in March 2023, saying they had received the wrong amount as of November 2021 – an amount of approximately $17,000

“Some people are out $30-40,000. Boys had to take out loans and credit cards to pay their mortgages.

“They moved to a new payroll company called Workday. Once they converted it, everyone’s wages went haywire.”

Workday did not respond to a request for comment.

Another LAFD firefighter told DailyMail.com, “We switched to a new payment program a few months ago, it’s a disaster. A lot of guys’ wages are a mess.”

The alleged stiffening of firefighters was referenced in a searing letter from current and former LAFD officials to Crowley, published Thursday.

“Many members had their payments disrupted due to issues with the new Workday payroll system,” the letter said. ‘Some problems were beyond your control; However, you and Chief Orin Saunders ensured that the problem reached critical mass. To this day, this issue has not been resolved.’

The department’s apparent internal disarray coincides with the exclusive December memo reported last week by DailyMail.com, in which LA Mayor Karen Bass had demanded that the LAFD make an additional $49 million in cuts on top of the 17.6 million that had already been taken.

Chief Crowley said the first round of cuts “negatively impacted the Department’s ability to maintain core activities such as technology and communications infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention and community education.”

A firefighter told DailyMail.com that $90 is deducted from his paycheck every month to cover his health insurance subsidy, but $1,000 was accidentally debited more than a month ago.

A firefighter told DailyMail.com that $90 is deducted from his paycheck every month to cover his health insurance subsidy, but $1,000 was accidentally debited more than a month ago.

LAFD personnel spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from those at the top

LAFD personnel spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from those at the top

An LAFD employee who said he would get an eight percent pay raise for firefighters somehow ended up with a negative $2,458 in his paycheck.

An LAFD employee who said he would get an eight percent pay raise for firefighters somehow ended up with a negative $2,458 on his paycheck

The memo also pointed to a $7 million reduction in overtime.

Some firefighters confided in the LAFD whistleblower’s social media page LAFDWatchdog about their pay problems, and sent extracts of their pay slips showing the alleged errors.

One of them, who said he would get an eight percent raise for firefighters, somehow ended up with a negative $2,458 in his paycheck.

“About $90 is deducted from each paycheck to cover my health insurance,” said another employee. ‘More than a month ago, many of us accidentally withdrew more than €1,000.

“The city payroll department has known about it for over a month and I haven’t even received a courtesy phone call.

‘I also have payment arrears and a bonus that I should have received 18 months ago. Disgusted with this city leadership. I would continue working for another six years, but I am seriously considering retiring next year.”

An LAFD employee said that when the department’s payroll department switched to Workday, he was accidentally paid less than $4 an hour for months, leaving him with what he says are thousands of dollars in back pay.

Others said the problem goes back years. One firefighter messaged LAFDWatchdog in March 2023, saying they had received the wrong amount as of November 2021: approximately $17,000.

Park's attorney, Martin Aarons, told DailyMail.com that the alleged overpayment to Chief Crowley was

Park’s attorney, Martin Aarons, told DailyMail.com that the alleged overpayment to Chief Crowley was “around $37,000.”

Former LAFD Fire Administrator Jenny Park, seen during her 2018 appointment, is suing the city of LA, claiming she was wrongfully fired by LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley in 2023

Former LAFD Fire Administrator Jenny Park, seen during her 2018 appointment, is suing the city of LA, claiming she was wrongfully fired by LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley in 2023

As LAFD staffers rage over alleged payment errors and work overtime to tackle the devastating wildfires that have wiped out an entire LA neighborhood, their boss is accused of receiving $37,000 that the city allegedly improperly paid her.

In December, a former city attorney representing the fire department sued the city of LA alleging misconduct by Crowley.

Among her claims in the lawsuit, attorney Jenny Park accused Crowley of a “continued failure to reimburse the city for a significant overpayment she improperly received.”

Park’s lawyer, Martin Aarons, told DailyMail.com that the alleged overpayment was “approximately $37,000.”

Park alleged that Crowley repeatedly refused to pay back the money.

She described it in her legal complaint as “theft of city funds by Chief Crowley due to overpayment and her inability/refusal to repay said amounts,” which Park said she “reasonably believed was a violation of California law ‘.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed the lawsuit in a story on Thursday.

“Chief Crowley was paid a significant amount of money, which was far too much – thousands of dollars – and, to our knowledge, never repaid that money,” Aarons told DailyMail.com.

Park described it in her legal complaint as “theft of city funds by Chief Crowley due to overpayment and her inability/refusal to repay said amounts” – Park said she believed it was a California law.

Park described it in her legal complaint as “theft of city funds by Chief Crowley due to overpayment and her inability/refusal to repay said amounts” – Park said she believed it was a California law.

1737119509 776 LA firefighters claim they have been shortchanged thousands of dollars

1737119510 950 LA firefighters claim they have been shortchanged thousands of dollars

1737119510 403 LA firefighters claim they have been shortchanged thousands of dollars

‘She just refused. Mrs. Park reminded her frequently, but she just ghosted her.”

Park claimed she was fired when she reported the incident, as well as other “repeated violations of city rules and regulations.”

Her complaints included that Crowley allegedly failed to promote people based on merit, failed to consistently enforce rules and regulations impartially, harassed and neglected civilian employees, and violated city contract procedures and ethics rules.

“Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and her right-hand man Deputy Chief Orin Saunders feared being exposed, especially after being hailed as the first woman to lead the LAFD,” her lawsuit said.

LAFD did not respond to a request for comment.

Crowley has remained in her job amid the wildfire tragedy, despite the controversy surrounding her and parting ways with staff last week before meeting with LA Mayor Karen Bass.

When the fire chief returned from the meeting, she reportedly told her office staff that she was “not fired yet.”

DailyMail.com revealed that a source said: ‘When she was called to the meeting it was for the immediate purpose of firing her.

“Whatever happened at that meeting changed minds.

“Either Bass realized it would be suicide to fire her and came to his senses, or Crowley talked her out of it.

“She came back to the office, told the staff, ‘I haven’t been fired yet,’ and had a meeting with all her supervisors.”

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