Texas Paramedic Files FLSA Suit Against Dallas/Fort Worth Airport

A former paramedic for the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has filed an FLSA lawsuit against his former employer, seeking unpaid overtime and other money damages for the past three years. Douglas Patterson filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Patterson alleges that he and other paramedics did not receive all remuneration in their ...

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Rhode Island Firefighter Files FLSA Suit Against Town of East Greenwich

William Perry, a firefighter and dispatcher for the East Greenwich Fire Department, has filed an FLSA suit against his employer, the Town of East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The suit which was filed on March 23, 2018, in federal court alleges the town willfully violated the FLSA over the past three years. Perry is seeking back wages, liquidated damages, and attorney’s ...

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The Regular Rate, FLSA, and Firefighters Part I

This is the first 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 ...

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Civilian Public Safety Dispatchers & the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: I am a city HR director. We employ civilian public safety dispatchers who handle dispatching for both the police and fire departments. The dispatchers work an average of 42 hours per week. If they work all their assigned shifts, the dispatchers are paid 80 hours of straight time and four hours of overtime every two weeks. The ...

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Modesto Firefighters Settle FLSA Suit Over Healthcare Buy-Back Money

The City of Modesto, California, has agreed to settle an FLSA lawsuit filed by several current and former city firefighters. The 2016 suit alleged the city failed to include cash payments made to some firefighters in lieu of receiving health benefits in the firefighters’ regular rate of pay. While not all firefighters opted out of city sponsored medical benefits, those ...

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Allegations of Unpaid Overtime and FLSA Regular Rate Violations for some California Firefighters

Twenty-three current and former La Verne, California, firefighters have filed a federal lawsuit against the city for violations of the FLSA. The firefighters make two basic allegations in a six-page complaint filed in the Central District of California. First, the City of La Verne failed to pay some firefighters for all hours worked attending meetings, training, and performing other administrative ...

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Firefighters performing part-time work

Today’s FLSA Question: I am the chief of a midsize, full-time fire department. Our overtime budget is constantly the source of contention and scrutiny by town administrators, elected officials, and the public. Our line firefighters average 42 hours per week on 4 platoons. We use a 14-day work period and pay overtime for all hours worked in addition to the ...

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U.S. Firefighter Working Overseas and the FLSA

Today’s FLSA question: I am a U.S citizen working as a contract firefighter at a U.S. military base overseas. The company I work for is based in the U.S. My co-workers and I receive straight time for all hours worked. We receive zero overtime. We average over 80 hours of work per week! Does the FLSA apply to us? The ...

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Sick Leave Buy-Backs and the Regular Rate

Today’s FLSA Question: I recently read (on FirefighterOvertime.org) that money paid to firefighters for unused vacation time typically does not need to be included in a firefighter’s regular rate. Our employment contract provides “bonuses” up to $1,000 annually if a firefighter does not use any sick time in a calendar year, and states that a certain number of unused sick ...

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