- Several Port Aransas ferry security employees have quit in the past few months due to being paid late and some, not paid at all.
- The Michaelson Group LLC out of Dallas is in charge of paying ferry security employees.
- This same issue with the Michaelson Group LLC happened back in 2018 as well.
- Michael Pleasants, owner of the group, admitted to paying his employees weeks late, and says its due to internal issues in the company.
Back in 2018,KRIS 6 News reported on Port Aransas Ferry employees not being paid on time, some not being paid at all, and receiving insufficient checks. This same issue is now happening again. Multiple Port Aransas Ferry security guards have quit their jobs in the past few months, saying that they were getting paychecks up to two weeks after payday and when they finally did receive checks, most of them would bounce. While TxDOT is in charge of ferry operations, they are not responsible for paying the security guard employees—The Michaelson Group LLC from Dallas is.
“People do not want to report to work if we’re not getting paid. And we have held off a very long time, through the months. We want to work, we want to go to work, we want to do our jobs. We have good, hardworking people that work for the company, and our morale is just lowered to a horrible level," Former Port Aransas Ferry security guard Julianne Dvoroznak, said.
Former security guards say that the late and insufficient payments have been going on since June. They say that some security employees who still work there, are still waiting for payments up to thousands of dollars. Many employees quit and find work elsewhere because they could not make ends meet anymore, and some ended up in debt.
“It’s very disheartening because I loved everybody that I worked with. I loved the people that I associated with that came through the ferry system. But, to get your pay envelope, and there’s a pay stub and no paycheck, would make me cry, and actually, I ended up with almost a thousand dollars in late fees and overdraft fees from some of the checks that we did get," Monica Bell, Former Port Aransas Ferry security guard said.
KRIS 6 News Reporter Erin Holly spoke to Michael Pleasants, the owner of the Michaelson Group LLC on the phone. He admitted to paying his employees up to two weeks late.
“We’re working through an internal issue. We had an internal administrative employee that you know, did some things. I know that’s not their problem, that’s our problem. But, that’s the reason," Pleasants said.
The former employees are still skeptical of Pleasants. They said that often times, they had to beg him for compensation.
“So, the weekend that the hurricane was coming in, and part of my decision with that was not getting a check, and when finally contacting our owner, I told him that we were being evacuated and I needed my check for gas money and he said well if you’re going to beg for gas money, I’ll send you a hundred bucks," Bell said.
Pleasants admitted to using other ways of sending money to compensate his employees.
"I have used other forms of payment to expedite those payments, such as CashApp or Zelle, some PayPal, to get them paid quicker instead of paper checks," Pleasants said.
The former security guards believe that security of the ferry is extremely important to protect the people of Port Aransas and the Port of Coprus Christi. They said they do not feel valued as employees.
“I feel like we have an important job here, and he’s not taking care of his people," John Simpson, Former Port Aransas Ferry security guard said.
These former employees loved working as security guards for the ferry and were sad that they were forced to quit.
“I love working where I work. I think we all have that general consensus. We want to go back to work. We need to have him rectify this and make it right. It’s very important to all of us," Dvoroznak said.
Pleasants said is is aware that several of his employees quit due to improper compensation. He told KRIS 6 News Reporter Erin Holly that those employees are eligable for rehire, and that he will start paying all of his employees, on time and on a regular basis by the end of next week.
"We're just about at the end of the situation, so I would anticipate probably by the end of next week. If not one, at the most, two pay periods," Pleasants said. "The fault is all on our company. We're not blaming anyone, other than ourselves, for this problem."
We will keep you updated on air and online as new details develop on the story.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
