AMA promises delayed employee pay will be issued after banking system failure
By THE STAR STAFF
Officials at the Metropolitan Bus Authority (AMA by its acronym in Spanish) said Monday that employees affected by delayed payroll deposits were slated to receive their outstanding payments by the end of the day, as the agency works with Banco Popular to resolve a system issue that disrupted service and delayed the departure of dozens of buses.
AMA President Luis González Rosario attributed the payroll delay to a problem with Banco Popular’s electronic payment system, rejecting suggestions that the agency had failed to process employee compensation on time.
“The direct deposit payment was issued on Thursday,” González said during an interview on “Normando en la Mañana” on NotiUno 630. “Banco Popular experienced a situation with its system.”
He added that the bank provided documentation explaining the issue and said he was willing to make that information available.
The payroll disruption prompted complaints from the TU-AMA union and contributed to operational problems early Monday, when numerous buses remained off their routes as workers awaited confirmation of payment.
González acknowledged the impact on employees but said most workers had already received their paychecks. According to the agency head, only a limited number of employees remained affected because deposits had not yet reached certain bank branches.
“Many of them have already received their full payment,” González said. “There are still some employees whose deposits have not yet arrived, but they are the minority.”
The official said he was working directly with bank representatives to ensure all outstanding deposits are completed before the end of the day. His goal, he said, was to have the situation normalized by noon.
The payroll issues also affected public transportation service during the morning rush hour. At the time of the interview, González said only between 32 and 34 of the agency’s 87 buses were operating, with additional vehicles gradually returning to service as they were fueled and dispatched.
“The employees are heading out, they’re heading out, they’re heading out,” he said.
Still, González conceded that commuters with early morning obligations experienced significant disruptions.
“Those who had commitments early this morning were affected. They’re either not going to make it or they’re going to arrive late,” he said, apologizing to passengers for the inconvenience.
The AMA chief also addressed concerns raised about staffing levels within the authority. While acknowledging shortages in maintenance positions, González said all driver vacancies have been filled.
“On the driver side, I hired all the drivers,” he said. “What I still need is maintenance personnel.”
González said the requests to fill those maintenance jobs have already been submitted, although the hiring process has proven slower than expected.
He maintained that the agency has sufficient budgetary resources to keep transit operations staffed and said vacancies are filled as soon as they arise.
“If two drivers leave, I immediately appoint replacements so that process doesn’t fail,” González said. “I’m making appointments and executing those hires day by day.”
The payroll delay surfaced amid broader scrutiny of AMA’s operations and staffing levels, with Monday’s disruption highlighting how employee compensation issues can quickly affect public transit service and commuters across the San Juan metropolitan area.
