Tag Archives: FLSA

FL Fire Protection District Faces Second FLSA Lawsuit in as Many Years

The Upper Captiva Fire Protection and Rescue Service District (district) is facing its second FLSA misclassification lawsuit from a former chief officer since 2021. The district provides fire and EMS services on the tiny island of North Captiva on Florida’s gulf coast. The island of North Captiva is located a few miles northwest of Ft. Meyers Beach and is only ...

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DOL Investigation Finds Wildland Firefighters and Truck Drivers Owed More Than $150K in Back Wages and Overtime Pay

The Department of Labor (DOL) has found that a federal contractor hired by the United States government to combat “some of the nation’s worst wildfires” failed to properly compensate dozens of firefighters and truck drivers in violation of several federal statutes and DOL regulations. The violations occurred between June 2019 and October 2021 when these workers were deployed to fight ...

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DOL Investigation Yields $672K In Back OT for Gary IN Firefighters and Medics

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has ordered the City of Gary, Indiana to pay 154 firefighters and 18 paramedics a total of $672,000 in back overtime wages. The order follows a DOL investigation into the city’s pay practices related to firefighter and medic pay. According to the DOL, the city failed to pay firefighters overtime for all hours worked ...

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Lone Honolulu Medic’s FLSA Lawsuit to Grow with Judge’s Ruling

A federal lawsuit filed by Honolulu paramedic Robert Hayslip will expand to include hundreds of other “similarly situated” EMTs and medics following a federal judge’s ruling last week. United States District Court Judge, Derrick K. Watson granted a motion filed by Hayslip’s attorneys to conditionally certify the lawsuit as a “collective action.” According to Hayslip’s attorneys, as many as 300 ...

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GA Battalion Chiefs File FLSA Lawsuit

Ten Cobb County, Georgia battalion chiefs have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the county has failed to pay them overtime as required by federal law. More specifically, the battalion chiefs claim the county misclassified them as overtime exempt “white collar” employees in violation of the FLSA. Quoting from the complaint: Within the last three years, and continuing to date, while ...

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Firefighters, Floating Kelly Days, and the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: My department provides all firefighters and officers [except for staff personnel assigned to 40-hour workweeks] 13 floating Kelly Days per year. In exchange for these Kelly Days, we do not receive any FLSA overtime for our scheduled work shifts. In the past, the department allowed two firefighters to use their floating Kelly Day on any given shift. ...

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Salina Kansas Prevails on FLSA Retaliation Claim made by Former Fire Captain

A federal judge has dismissed a former Salina, Kansas fire captain’s allegations of FLSA retaliation following his 2022 lawsuit against the city and the former fire chief. The lawsuit, which contains allegations of both state and federal law violations was initially filed in state court in early 2022. The city removed the action to federal court in April 2022, due ...

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Fire Chief’s Comp Time Cash Out at Retirement and the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: I recently read a news story about a fire chief that retired and received compensation for 93 comp time days in addition to his unused vacation and sick time. My question is specifically about the comp time buy-out. Assuming that each “day” equaled 8 hours of comp time, that equates to 744 hours of comp time. My ...

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Tulsa City Council Authorizes $1 Million Settlement in Firefighter FLSA Lawsuit

The City of Tulsa, Oklahoma is one step closer to resolving an FLSA lawsuit filed by nearly 500 Tulsa firefighters. This past Wednesday, the Tulsa City Council approved a settlement in the amount of $1,060,000. The firefighter’s complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma in February 2022, contained several allegations related ...

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Louisiana Firefighters Fight for $13 an Hour

Full-time firefighters in Opelousas, LA make $9.50 per hour. Not surprisingly, the department is having trouble recruiting and retaining firefighters. According to firefighters, the city’s fire station even closes “every now and then” due to staffing shortages. Firefighters that normally work 24 hours on-duty followed by 48 hours off are working multiple continuous days and overtime shifts have become the ...

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