Nearly 700 CapMetro employees received incomplete pay in January

CapMetro and its third-party bus operator, Keolis, are working to address weeks' worth of pay discrepancies impacting hundreds of bus operators.

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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- CapMetro and its third-party bus operator, Keolis, are working to address weeks' worth of pay discrepancies impacting hundreds of bus operators and employees, following frustrations shared by employees during Monday's CapMetro board meeting.

Darrell Sorrells serves as the vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1091. On Monday, he highlighted payment issues impacting operators during the past four pay periods, running from early January through Feb. 23. He noted CapMetro and Keolis have met with union leaders several times over the issue, but added things haven't been rectified quickly enough.

Earlier this month, KXAN investigator Kelly Wiley reported more than 350 CapMetro bus operators didn't receive their full pay during January. At the time, CapMetro officials said the issues extended from a change in payroll systems.

Michael Ake, vice president of operations and a general manager with Keolis, gave an additional update Monday, confirming pay discrepancies impacted 690 employees during the first three pay periods of the year. He defined "pay discrepancies" as any incident where employees were missing some kind of payment and corrections needed to be made.

Comparatively, 35 employees were affected by pay discrepancies during the last pay period on Feb. 23. Ake said these discrepancies were unacceptable, and Keolis staff were working closely with CapMetro to rectify pay code issues that contributed to the missing compensation.

On Feb. 16, Ake said he met with union leaders to discuss additional issues with double pay discrepancies, with more than 300 employees impacted by double pay inaccuracies during the first three pay periods.

Ake said Keolis plans to repay employees missing portions of their double pay this Friday.

This isn't the first time ATU Local 1091 leadership has shared concerns over Keolis. The CapMetro Board of Directors approved in September a nearly $753.7 million contract with Keolis to oversee maintenance and operations services, foregoing a re-signed contract with previous bus operations handler, MV Transportation.

Sorrells also spoke at that September board meeting, citing allegations of unfair labor practice charges involving Keolis. David Scorey, president and CEO of Keolis North America, said in September the company wanted to have "productive relationships" with unions.

KXAN investigative reporter Kelly Wiley contributed to this report.