A union representing nurses and healthcare workers at Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health says a new payroll system, Workday, has caused payroll errors since the health system implemented it in July.
The California Nurses Association/Caregivers and Healthcare Employees Union represents more than 8,000 nurses and healthcare workers at 16 Northern California Sutter Health facilities, according to an Aug. 5 news release. Sutter is a 23-hospital health system with more than 53,000 total employees.
Union members contend that nurses and healthcare workers have been affected by errors that include missing base pay, missing pay for call shifts, inaccurate pay rates for shifts, incorrect paid time off rates and incorrect deductions. They also contend the issues have been ongoing since July 1 and that Sutter has not corrected them despite employees bringing the issues to the health system's attention.
"I can't believe that we’ve gone through multiple pay periods already and the payroll errors are still happening," Carol Hawthorne-Johnson, RN, a nurse at Castro Valley, Calif.-based Sutter Eden Medical Center, said in the release. "This is not right."
In a statement shared with Becker's, Sutter said: "We recently implemented a new system for our human resources and payroll activities. This significant technical upgrade is complex and has resulted in some payroll-related disruptions. We are making every effort to resolve outstanding compensation and payroll issues."
Sutter also said employees will be reimbursed for incidental fees incurred due to the payroll issues.
"We regret any impact this has had on our team members," the health system's statement reads. "We value our employees and are grateful for their patience during this transition period."