Firefighter Overtime Discussing Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Firefighters, First Responders as well as Human Resource & Finance Professional

A lawsuit initially filed by only two Wisconsin paramedics in June 2018 has resulted in a settlement. The defendants in the suit—the Great Divide Ambulance Company and four different Wisconsin Townships—have agreed to pay twelve EMTs and medics a total of $255,000 to settle all overtime claims related to the suit. For more on the initial lawsuit: Wisconsin Medics Claim ...

A veteran Cleveland police officer has filed suit against the city alleging its compensatory time (comp time) policies violate the FLSA. Officer Jeffrey Kozma filed the suit, on behalf of himself and similarly situated individuals, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on August 15, 2019. According to the complaint, the city mandates police officers receive ...

Retired Division Chief Ronald Pelham has reached a $115,000 court approved settlement with the City of Monrovia, California following an FLSA lawsuit. Pelham alleged, in his September 2018 complaint that the Monrovia Fire Department misclassified him as an overtime exempt executive employee and failed to pay him any FLSA overtime. Pelham’s lawsuit was one of several filed across the country ...

Unites States Federal District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson has ruled in favor of thirteen Hanford, Washington fire captains in their pursuit of FLSA overtime. This judgement is the latest in a series of recent rulings involving fire officers and FLSA overtime eligibility. For more on those see: Federal Magistrate Judge Dismisses OT Claims by VA Battalion Chiefs Absent Trial ...

A lawsuit filed by two Roanoke, Virginia police officers alleging the city’s police department violated both the FLSA and Virginia state wage law has ended with a $1.2 million court approved settlement. The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, on May 11, 2018 alleged the city failed to pay police officers for ...

Paramedic Terry Rich has filed an FLSA lawsuit, on behalf of himself and other similarly situated individuals [i.e. other EMTs and medics Terry believes may have also been shorted straight time and overtime pay], against his employer, Putnam County Tennessee. Specifically, Terry claims Putnam County Emergency Services Department fails to pay EMTs for all hours worked every workweek, overtime for ...

In the latest legal twist involving battalion chiefs (shift commanders) and FLSA overtime eligibility, United States Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard has dismissed an overtime lawsuit filed by seven Chesapeake, Virginia Battalion Chiefs (BCs). The seven BCs filed the suit last July, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Virginia, alleging the City of Chesapeake failed to ...

Today’s FLSA Question: I am a paid firefighter for a small non-profit volunteer fire company. Our organization has a large group of volunteer firefighters and an all-volunteer chief and command staff. I am one of two full-time (Monday-Friday) firefighters. I am treated as an hourly employee, however, I do not receive any overtime. Between trainings, after-hours calls, and regularly scheduled ...

An FLSA retaliation and unpaid overtime lawsuit filed by an Oklahoma fire marshal will continue following a decision last week by Chief Judge John E. Dowdell of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Judge Dowdell denied attempts by both the City of Sand Springs, Oklahoma (the defendant) and Fire Marshal Stan Smith (the plaintiff) to end ...

Three FDNY Motor Vehicle Operators (MVOs) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last week alleging the City of New York violated the FLSA. More specifically, the plaintiffs allege the city failed to pay them for all hours worked and is not paying overtime at the correct rate of pay. Plaintiffs Christopher ...