King County Metro To Pay $6.4 Million In Back Pay

SEATTLE, WA - The U.S. Department of Labor has found that King County Metro owes 2,403 operators $6.4 million in back pay related to non-driving tasks. The Department of Labor said that operators did not receive adequate pay for three tasks: pre-trip inspections, meetings operators had with a supervising chief, and instances where operators were incorrectly paid straight time instead of overtime. Depending on how many hours individual operators worked, they will receive $40 to $8,500.

One-time payments will be made to operators from Metro's budget where savings in fuel and salary have been identified.

“We worked productively with the U.S. Department of Labor to correct our pay practices, so we pay eligible drivers what they are owed. We take this responsibility seriously and will fully comply with their findings,” King County Metro General Manager Rob Gannon said in a statement.

Metro said it will it take a number of actions to prevent pay errors in the future, including streamlining pre-trip inspections, improving driver sign-in processes and providing scheduling training for managers.

“I have made a commitment to the U.S. Department of Labor that all changes will be made," Gannon said. "I have assigned operations staff to streamline our pre-trip inspection processes, modernize how operators are scheduled and correct how they are paid.”

The full report from Metro is available here. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Seattle Patch, click here to find your local Washington Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Image via King County Metro