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National Grid Employees Unpaid For Sandy Relief

BOSTON (CBS) - Deanna D'Amato says she stepped up to help those in need, now she wants to know when her paycheck is coming.

D'Amato is just one of thousands of National Grid employees who has been underpaid or not paid at all for the work they did restoring power back to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

"It's extremely frustrating. I am owed $9,000. I've counted on that money and it's scary and devastating," D'Amato said.

The problems stem from National Grid's new payroll software system that went online just a few weeks before the hurricane hit.

The company says the inordinate amount of overtime incurred by its employees in response to the hurricane caused major problems, but they are addressing the issue.

"We understand the immense inconvenience this has caused our employees and we will continue to do what we can to make this right," a National Grid spokesperson said.

D'Amato says she spent 18 hours for a 11 straight days working on Long Island and living out of a trailer.

Now this single mother of two children is wondering how she's going to pay her bills on time.

"Cross my fingers and hope it gets resolved soon. There's nothing I can do. I just feel helpless," D'Amato said.

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