WILKES-BARRE -- Some county employees in Luzerne County did not receive their direct deposit payments as scheduled on Friday, according to county officials.
The representative for the county's unionized workers says about 1,200 employees were affected.
"Some people were devastated by the mere fact that they had been standing in line for Black Friday, waiting maybe two hours to purchase their Christmas gifts, that were special buys. They got to the register, used their card and they were declined," said Paula Schnelly.
A letter sent by county officials blames "human error," and states that the "payroll files were created and sent but not approved." Without approval, the direct deposits did not happen.
Luzerne County Budget and Finance Division head Brian Swetz admits someone made a mistake. He says, due to vacation schedules, the person who was supposed to authorize the payroll wasn't at work, and direct deposit payments didn't get made as scheduled.
"All we can do at this point is move forward. I can't go back in time and make it happen," Swetz told Newswatch 16.
According to the letter Swetz emailed to county employees, the county was made aware of the problem around 9:30 a.m. Friday and the error was corrected around 12:30 p.m. Friday. The deposits then started going into bank accounts. The time of the actual posting (i.e. money is in an account) will depend on the particular bank or credit union.
The letter states that "all county employees will be paid by Monday at the latest."
The county says it will work with the various financial institutions to eliminate or reduce any fees that employees incurred due to the delay.
