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Port A security guard workers still weeks behind pay

Posted at 1:01 PM, Oct 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-18 19:40:35-04

Two weeks ago, a lawsuit was filed in federal court because more than a dozen Port Aransas ferry security guards said they hadn’t gotten paid in weeks.

The situation hasn’t been resolved.

Now, the guards are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

After the lawsuit was filed, the guards told KRIS 6 they had only received half of the wages they were owed. At that time, they had gone without pay for nearly a month.

They were told they would get paid this week, with their pay recouped.

“I was expecting all the money that they owed me and that didn’t happen, said Cassandra Salsgiver, a former employee. “I was upset, I was mad. I was a little frustrated.”

Salsgiver who quit her job because of the situation, says she is owed two weeks of pay. A current ferry security guard tells KRIS 6 they are owed four weeks.

“I don’t think I’m going to get it [money] outside of the courts,” Salsgiver said. “I don’t think that the company is just going to willingly pay us.”

An employee also tells KRIS 6 a third of the former security guards have quit because of the situation. Among them are Salsgiver, who says she is focused on her new job and school.

“Right now, I am O.K.,” Salsgiver said. “But I do have to pay for school that’s coming up, and I don’t have the money right now.”

Salsgiver said the situation is out of her control, and is now up to the courts to resolve.

“They’re putting these people in a position that they shouldn’t be in,” Salsgiver said. “They worked and they expect their paychecks and it’s not happening.”

The lawsuit was filed against two companies and their owners. Currently, the Michaelson Group Holdings, LLC and Michael Pleasants are responsible for paying the guards. However, the previous owner, Kingdom Guard LLC and Darrin Crow, are also named in the suit.

Salsgiver says she included all parties in the suit because both her current and former bosses were consistently late on paying their employees.

After the defendants have been served the suit, they have 21 days to respond. So far, none of the defendants named in the suit have responded.

A pre-trial hearing for the case is scheduled for January.