Former Lumpkin County Fire Department Battalion Chief Sharon Booth has filed suit against her former employer alleging that the county misclassified her as an overtime exempt employee in violation of the FLSA. The lawsuit, which was filed on November 30, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia contains rather straightforward claims of unpaid overtime for ...
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Allegations of FLSA Misclassification and Retaliation from Indiana Battalion Chiefs
Three “former” Battalion Chiefs from the Portage, Indiana Fire Department filed a lawsuit in federal court last week claiming the city of Portage failed to provide them overtime pay as required by both the FLSA and Indiana state law. Additionally, the chiefs’ complaint alleges that the city has unlawfully retaliated against them in violation of the FLSA. Specifically, the chiefs ...
Read More »Arlington TX Deputy Chiefs Seek Overtime
Two deputy fire chiefs with the Arlington, Texas Fire Department have filed a lawsuit alleging the City of Arlington fails to pay them overtime as required by Texas law. The complaint, which was filed in Tarrant County, Texas, on the behalf of Deputy Fire Chiefs Troy Brooks and Scott Hofstrom, contains several basic allegations. Quoting from the complaint: During all ...
Read More »Retired Georgia Battalion Chief Files Lawsuit for Unpaid Overtime and Breach of Contract
A recently retired battalion chief from the Roswell, Georgia Fire Department has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Roswell alleging the city’s pay practices violate both the FLSA and state laws. Retired Battalion Chief Edwin Vickery filed the lawsuit on July 28, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Here is a breakdown ...
Read More »Overtime Exempt Battalion Chiefs, Flat Rate for Additional Hours Worked, and the FLSA
Today’s FLSA Question: I am an overtime exempt battalion chief for a full-time fire department. I do not receive any overtime pay for my scheduled work shifts or for required meetings or trainings. I receive extra pay for working additional hours on other shifts. For example, if one of the other two battalion chiefs is on vacation or takes a ...
Read More »Battalion Chiefs, Straight Time Overtime, and the FLSA
Today’s FLSA Question: I am an overtime exempt battalion chief for a mid-sized municipal fire and medical department. I do not receive any FLSA overtime. Despite being overtime exempt, the city pays me and other exempt chiefs “straight time overtime” for additional shifts worked beyond the normal work schedule. This is paid at our normal hourly rate. It is not ...
Read More »Federal Judge Approves Settlement in Virginia Beach FLSA Misclassification Lawsuit
Senior United States District Court Judge Rebecca Beach Smith has approved a $200,000 settlement in a FLSA misclassification lawsuit filed late last year by a group of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Captains, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The settlement, which was officially approved by the court on Friday December 10, 2021, requires the City of Virginia Beach to pay a total ...
Read More »VA Beach Settles “White Collar” FLSA Lawsuit with EMS Captains
The City of Virginia Beach, Virginia has agreed to a $200,000 settlement with 8 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Captains following a November 2020 lawsuit for unpaid overtime. The captains alleged the city misclassified them as overtime exempt “white collar” employees in violation of the FLSA and Virginia state law. The terms of the settlement require the city to pay a ...
Read More »Firefighters Paid on a Salary Basis, Overtime, and the FLSA
Today’s FLSA Question: I am a rookie firefighter working for a rural county fire department. I am confused about the way firefighters in my fire department are compensated. We are paid a bi-weekly salary. However, we also receive FLSA overtime pay for all hours worked over 106 every two weeks. I am confused. I thought that being paid a salary ...
Read More »Ohio City Settles FLSA Lawsuit with Firefighters
The City of Eaton, Ohio has settled a lawsuit filed by four current and former fire department employees for a total of $185,000. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2019 by four of the department’s five full-time employees, contained two basic allegations. The first allegation was that the city misclassified the four full-time fire department employees as overtime exempt executive ...
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