Saint Augustine's University employees are owed paychecks dating back to March
It’s a summer of uncertainty for one of Raleigh’s historically black universities. The unpaid bills and liens are mounting; so is the amount of pay owed to employees, dating back months.
WRAL Investigates checked in with the North Carolina Department of Labor. As of Monday, the department has opened 22 cases since December 2023. Four of them have been resolved so far. The complaint documents say the university failed to pay all wages.
“It's a nightmare because waking up every day, I don't know what the next day is going to hold,” one employee told WRAL Investigates.
The employee wished to remain anonymous in order to protect their career. This employee says they are missing seven paychecks – dating back to March 22.
“Okay, let me think outside the box. What can I do for food? How can I get my utilities paid? And you don't want to be out begging from different nonprofit agencies or the government,” the employee said. “It's just sad there's no answers as when the next pay is actually going to come.”
The employee said the pay issues have been going on for about six months, with issues starting as early as November.
“Our grace period is up for a lot of companies. After you get extension after extension after extension, after a while…your grace period is up, and it's not like the bills were erased. Now, you have that big debt sitting there,” the employee said.
Over the past several months, alumni organizations and churches have offered donations to help faculty, staff and students. The employee said they are very thankful for that.
“We've received gift cards for gas, for groceries, [and] a Visa card for $300 that was very helpful, but when you have people that have their mortgage due or their rent due, car payments, insurance, electric bill, water, cable, it doesn't cover all of that. You're going to still be short,” the employee said.
The employee said the university recently started updating them every week.
“We are being told that we will be made whole, but there's no date of when that will come,” the employee said. “In the meantime, you have employees that are suffering.”
WRAL Investigates asked the employee why they continue to work for the university, given the uncertainty and apparent lack of pay.
“For me, it was just getting through the semester, being there for the students, and actually being able to see them across the stage…After that, then your mindset actually starts to change, because it's all about self-care. I'm pretty sure so many people are looking because they fulfilled their obligations, and it's almost like workplace trauma. You've committed to seeing the students through. The next step is to save yourself. But also you want to be hopeful too,” the employee said.
The employee explained, contracts run August through May, however pay is stretched out for 12 months.
“Technically, if we were getting paid, we will still get paid all the way up until the end of July,” the employee explained.
Typically, the employee said, faculty and staff would know by this time of the year if their contract will be renewed. This year, that is not the case, according to the employee.
In a letter to the ‘Falcon Nation,’ Chairman of the Board of Trustees Brian Boulware addressed the pay issues. He called out a group of alumni who recently sued the Board of Trustees in order to remove them.
“In this crucial time when our SAU faculty and staff are not receiving paychecks and SAU cannot fulfill its financial obligations, the former board members named in the complaint tactics are irresponsible, unconscionable, and equivalent to a terrorist attack against SAU they say that they love,” Boulware wrote.
He went on to say, “Moving forward, SAU will announce an immediate short-term financial solution to address payroll, student refund compensation, and other urgent operational funding needs. This move will allow SAU to develop a solid long-term financial solution within 90 days to address IRS and state tax delinquencies.”
It’s not clear what that “short-term financial solution” is. WRAL Investigates reached out to the university spokesperson for an update on the university’s situation going into the fall semester and pay for faculty, staff and work-study students.
The spokesperson said interim president Marcus Burgess was not available to do an interview to give any updates at this time.
Employees tell WRAL Investigates they want more answers and fewer excuses.
“Week after week, it seems like there is an excuse,” the employee said. “We're in the blind, and it's kind of hard to trust someone when you cannot see the clear picture. It's almost like, ‘Just trust me; I'm not going to let you fall.”
