When a computer glitch inflated their paychecks, city employees knew they’d have to return the extra money. They didn’t expect to be threatened with lawsuits.
On March 13, after an employee made an error in the payroll system, the city of Austin inadvertently overpaid 675 employees a total of $1.4 million. Some workers received more than double their normal pay, creating confusion and concern about how the city would recover the funds.
The city quickly moved to claw back that money, directing employees to sign a repayment agreement by April 10 “in order to fully resolve the dispute, in order to avoid a contested lawsuit, and in order to avoid any other wage issues that could arise between the parties based on [employee name] employment.”…