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San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. schools paid $20 million for a new payroll system. It's already glitching
The San Francisco school district's new payroll system, which replaced a $34 million version that never worked, has left at least a hundred teachers frustrated with errors in their paychecks over the past months and prompted the teachers union Monday to file a state labor complaint. District officials tried to allay jangled nerves, saying new systems typically come with stutter steps in implementation, but that staff was in place to address issues and fix the problems. Labor leaders from the United Educators of San Francisco said that through two cycles of paychecks, problems remained. They sent a cease and desist letter to district officials Friday demanding they address the issues, which included incorrect deduction of union dues as well as missing vacation pay and incorrect pay for substitutes during summer school. Labor officials also said the new system had 'no actual process for leaves, retirement or resignations.' 'The District had well over a year, with several high level staff assigned to leave the migration, to now hear that no one got trained, no one understands the system and that the system cannot actually do the things we need it to do,' according to the letter signed by Beatrice Montenegro, union senior staff representative. District officials did not immediately respond to specific complaints made by the union, but said the issues were not unexpected given the adjustments necessary for any new system. School board president Phil Kim said that any new software will have challenges and that it's 'critically important that issues get resolved quickly.' 'Implementation of any new software will have its challenges, but I'm encouraged to hear that over 97% of the paychecks issued as of today have been accurate,' he said. 'We owe it to all of our staff to ensure their pay is whole and on time.' The new system launched on July 1, with officials saying that 'based on the lessons learned from previous efforts,' the district would be ready to cut immediate paychecks for anyone underpaid by $50 or more while also providing real-time updates on any known issues and resolutions. The cost of Frontline, the new payment system, was $20 million, with an additional $2 million annually for on-going system costs. Since July 22, the district has provided almost daily updates regarding the status of the system, acknowledging incorrect leave balances, tax calculations and other problems. The site has also offered multiple opportunities for training on the new system. The school board voted in March 2024 to replace the previous system, EMPower, after a two-year effort to fix a litany of problems, including errors in pay as well as health and retirement benefits, leaving some employees temporarily short of funds for necessities or without medical coverage or payments into pensions. In one case, a principal wrote a personal check for $4,500 to help a teacher cover rent until she was paid. Employees filed thousands of complaints over the problems, leading to a declaration of a state of emergency in the district in November 2022, with a 60-person command center dedicated to resolving errors. The initial contract for EMPower, a bespoke system built specifically for the district, was $9.5 million, which later ballooned to $13.7 million and then $35 million before it was discarded last month.
Fibre2Fashion
10-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
GG International drives growth with Coats Digital's GSDCost
Coats Digital is pleased to announce that leading global apparel manufacturer, GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd, has adopted Coats Digital's GSDCost solution to drive stronger collaboration with international brand partners. The move is part of the company's wider digital transformation strategy aimed at boosting manufacturing competitiveness and expanding global partnerships. GG International Manufacturing Co Ltd has adopted Coats Digital's GSDCost solution to enhance global collaboration, boost competitiveness, and accelerate digital transformation. With facilities in Indonesia and Vietnam, the company aims to integrate advanced costing and motion analysis tools to drive productivity, standardisation, and sustainable growth. GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd is a trusted production partner to many of the world's top fashion brands, including Target, Kohl's, Macy's, Knitwell Group, Inditex (Zara), Victoria's Secret, JCP, Nordstrom, AEO and Walmart, and produces a wide range of garments from blouses and suits to intimate apparel. With production facilities across Indonesia (Semarang and Boyolali) and Vietnam (Hung Yen, Hai Phong, and Hai Duong), the company specialises in woven garments and is actively investing in digitalization, research and development, and sustainable growth. Since introducing the GSD programme in 2017, GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has taken business evolution to the next level by establishing its own Product Analysis Center (PAC). Leveraging innovative cost-modelling methodologies, the company has consistently measured production costs with precision to preserve price competitiveness. This proprietary system has earned positive feedback from all its trading partners. In pursuit of greater innovation, GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd has adopted Coats Digital's advanced GSDCost solution to optimise its whole digital infrastructure. Phil Kim, Director, GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd, said: 'Building on the know-how we have accumulated through our PAC Center operations, we aim to fully integrate Coats Digital's GSDCost solution as a strategic enhancement. By doing so, we hope to further boost our manufacturing competitiveness and accelerate our digital transformation journey. 'We regard Coats Digital's GSDCost solution as the core engine for our sustainable growth and digital transformation programmes and we are confident that this initiative will give us the competitive edge we need to grow rapidly in the years ahead.' Duck Baik, Associate Manager, GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd added: 'We're excited to be integrating GSDCost's motion code methodology and its international standard time data with our legacy in - house system to create powerful synergies. ' 'Through systematic field training, we have established the optimal standard for applying robust motion codes. By expanding an analytical perspective to observe each movement in detail, we now expect to significantly improve our SMV precision and productivity. We are now continuing to optimise our planning and costing processes across all factories by setting strong benchmarks to build our own standardised SMV library.' Mela, Lean Team, GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd, said: 'Coats Digital's 6-week GSDCost training has been a game-changer for our industrial engineering department. Delivered through a structured and engaging online format, the programme offers the world's most reliable PMTS methodology, providing our team with a solid foundation to perform accurate motion analysis and data-driven improvements. 'Throughout the training program, Coats Digital's trainers demonstrated exceptional clarity, support, and consistency—enabling us to complete the program on schedule and confidently move toward practical implementation. Coats Digital's training certainly sets a new standard for productivity and performance excellence.' Linda Seo, Sales Manager, Korea, Coats Digital, commented: 'We are delighted to welcome GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd to our growing GSDCost community. Its decision to adopt our solution reflects a clear commitment to transparent collaboration, performance excellence, and future-ready manufacturing. GG International Manufacturing Co. Ltd 's investment in GSDCost is a strategic response to rising labour costs, global buyer demands, and the urgent need for operational efficiency. By digitising its costing and efficiency measurement processes, the company is laying the foundation for smarter, more connected operations that deliver value across the supply chain.' Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
