Major accounting error leads to smaller paychecks for Atlanta city employees

ATLANTA - An accounting error will mean smaller checks for city of Atlanta employees.

When approximately 400 workers check their deposits Friday morning, the amount will be less than normal. 

Exactly how much will depend on the job classification and earnings.

"I want to know what happened and how are we going to fix it," said Gina Pagnotta with the PACE (Professional Association of City Employees) union. 

The Dickens administration confirms the mistake occurred when deductions for pensions were not taken for the impacted workers. 

A spokesperson said those amounts must be collected from the end of the month check to correct that error. 

Pagnotta, who has been hearing from upset workers who got the notification, had asked the cash takeback not happen all in one check.

However, authorities say it is necessary to do the full correction right now. 

"It's a bad time because the rent is due," said Pagnotta. "A lot of my members are already struggling, living paycheck to paycheck." 

If any of the workers are feeling the squeeze right now, they can reach out to the city's human resources department for an advance on the next pay earnings.