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

A North Carolina paramedic has filed a federal lawsuit against his employer, Duplin County Emergency Medical Services (DCEMS) alleging the county willfully violated both the FLSA and the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act (NCWHA). Paramedic Ryan Lang filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of himself and other similarly situated individuals (i.e. other EMTs that have worked for DCEMS over ...

Two Roanoke, Virginia, police officers have filed a federal lawsuit in the Western District of Virginia claiming the City of Roanoke failed to pay police officers for all hours worked in violation of the FLSA and other state laws. While the complaint was only filed by two officers, the suit seeks to add additional plaintiffs over the next several months. ...

According to the Capitol Gazette, county officials in Anne Arundel, Maryland, recently discovered an error in calculating overtime pay for many county employees, including police officers and firefighters. County Executive Steve Schuh admits the unintentional error spans the past 10 to 20 years. The error was recently discovered when the county changed payroll vendors. Initial estimates suggest the county may ...

Today’s FLSA Question: I have a question about FLSA comp time. Do the hours a firefighter does not work because he or she is using accrued FLSA compensatory time (comp time) need to be included when determining overtime for the work period? I don’t believe they need to be included, since the FLSA typically only requires counting hours worked by ...

The City of San Diego has settled a lawsuit filed by six helicopter rescue medics for a total of $307,000. The rescue medics work for the city’s fire and rescue department providing medical and logistical support for the city’s air ambulances. Historically, the city classified these medics as §207(k) firefighters. The medics claimed they did not have any “responsibility to ...

This is the sixth and final installment from FirefighterOvertime.org on the regular rate. Proper calculation of the regular rate is critical. All FLSA overtime must be at least time and one-half of the regular rate. The regular rate has been referred to as the “linchpin” of the FLSA. Not only is calculating the regular rate important, it can be difficult, ...

Today’s FLSA Question: I am a city HR manager. I am updating the city’s employment handbook. We are instituting a citywide time tracking and accountability system. Part of the system prohibits employees from working before their assigned shifts. The fire chief just informed me that firefighters arrive as much as one hour before their assigned shifts. The chief assured me ...

This is the fifth installment in a six-part series from FirefighterOvertime.org on the regular rate. Proper calculation of the regular rate is critical. All FLSA overtime must be at least time and one-half of the regular rate. The regular rate has been referred to as the “linchpin” of the FLSA. Not only is calculating the regular rate important, it can ...

Today’s FLSA Question: I recently read your article about discretionary bonuses and the regular rate. Our labor contract contains a variety of bonuses, which the contract refers to as “stipends.” These stipends include extra money for medic, fire officer I, and other qualifications. The FLSA requires these stipends included in the regular rate of pay. But the contract also contains ...

Today’s FLSA Question: I am a full-time firefighter in a midsize city. We work a 24/48 schedule with a 56-hour average workweek. We utilize a 14-day work period. Currently, I am assigned to B platoon. I am being transferred to C platoon, effective this Sunday. This means that I will be required to work my last 24-hour shift on B ...