Tag Archives: firefighters

Holiday Pay Battle Between WV City and Firefighters Continues

The long running legal battle between the City of Morgantown, West Virginia and its firefighters over holiday pay does not appear to be coming to an end anytime soon. This past week city firefighters filed an amended complaint in state court claiming the city owes firefighters almost $6.5 million after years of improperly calculating their holiday pay. The firefighters had ...

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SC City to Provide Hazard Pay and a Bonus for COVID Vaccination

The City of Columbia, South Carolina has announced a new hazard pay and bonus program for city workers. The plan, which has been approved by the city council will provide firefighters, police officers, public works, and other “front-line workers” with a $2,500 one-time stipend for working through the pandemic. Other city workers will receive a $1,250 one-time stipend. Additionally, city ...

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Congress Moves to Allow Federal Firefighters the Ability to Swap Shifts

Firefighters substituting for each other’s work shifts is common in today’s fire service. Most fire departments allow firefighters, and in some instances, other departmental employees the ability to freely substitute work shifts with each other. There are several reasons why so many fire departments allow personnel to substitute for each other. First and foremost is monetary. The FLSA and Department ...

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West Virginia Supreme Court Denies City’s Latest Effort to Reverse Lower Court’s Decision in Firefighter Holiday Pay Dispute

In the latest bit of legal wrangling between the City of Martinsburg and its professional firefighters, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has denied the city’s appeal seeking to reverse an earlier ruling by a lower court, in favor of the firefighters. As a result, the 2018 lawsuit which centers around a highly unique West Virginia statute related to ...

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DOL Investigation Finds Colorado County Failed to Pay Law Enforcement Officers for Pre-and-Post Shift Work

An investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has found that the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office violated the FLSA by not paying law enforcement officers for the time spent working before and after scheduled work shifts. The FLSA requires employers pay overtime eligible employees for all hours worked. This includes time spent before and after assigned work ...

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Illinois Firefighters File FLSA Suit

A group of four firefighters have filed a lawsuit, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging their employer, the Village of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, underpaid them for overnight shifts and failed to pay overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Illinois Minimum Wage Law. The Village of Winthrop Harbor is a ...

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Portsmouth VA Settles FLSA Suit with Paramedics Absent Trial

The City of Portsmouth, Virginia has reached a settlement with a group of fifteen paramedics ending an FLSA lawsuit filed in late 2020. The medics alleged the city failed to pay them overtime as required by the FLSA and Virginia Law. For more on the medics’ claims, including a copy of the complaint, click here. The terms of the settlement ...

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OK City Settles FLSA Suit with Firefighters

The City of Chickasha, Oklahoma and has settled an FLSA lawsuit with 31 city firefighters for almost $150,000. The settlement stems from a December 2020 lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The firefighters alleged the city failed to include longevity pay in their regular rate of pay. The FLSA requires wage augments, like ...

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Part-Time Firefighters, Paid Time Off, Overtime, and the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: I have been a part-time firefighter working for a small non-union municipal fire department for more than 5 years. My department augments full-time staff with part-timers, like myself. Historically, working as a part-time firefighter was the best way to get a job as a full-time firefighter. Up until recently, the department’s part-time firefighters were limited to a ...

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