Tag Archives: minimum wage

Four Florida Firefighters File FLSA Suit Against Town

Four Micanopy Fire and Rescue firefighters have filed a federal lawsuit against their employer alleging violations of the FLSA. According to the town’s website, the Micanopy Fire and Rescue Department responds to over 400 calls per year over an area of fifty-three square miles and serves a population around 10,000 people. The department is staffed by a full time fire ...

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SC Firefighters Desperate for Community Support

Firefighters from Georgetown County, South Carolina are again attempting to raise public awareness regarding the ongoing critical firefighter and paramedic staffing shortage within the county. The Georgetown Professional Firefighters Association, Local 4526, has posted a three-page letter on its Facebook page that provides examples of how the “critical staffing shortage” is impacting the firefighters ability to serve the community. According ...

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DOL Makes FLSA Mistakes More Costly for Employers

On April 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD)—the arm of the DOL responsible for enforcing the FLSA—officially rescinded a controversial employer-friendly enforcement practice implemented less than a year ago. As a general rule, the FLSA requires liquidated damages be assessed after finding an employer violated the Act’s minimum wage or overtime requirements. Liquidated ...

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Settlement Reached in Indiana FLSA Retaliation Lawsuit

The City of Tipton, Indiana has reached a a settlement with a veteran firefighter following an FLSA overtime and retaliation lawsuit. The Tipton City Council unanimously approved a maximum settlement of $18,763.42 to resolve a lawsuit filed last fall by veteran city firefighter Chad Frazier. Firefighter Frazier brought the lawsuit in September of 2020, alleging the city failed to pay ...

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Volunteer Fire Company Sues CT Town Over Volunteer Stipends

An unusual battle between an independent volunteer fire company and a rural New England town has resulted in the fire company filing a lawsuit against the town. In a March 31 lawsuit—filed in New London Superior Court—the Gardner Lake Volunteer Fire Company alleges the Town of Salem, CT is unlawfully withholding almost $28,000 earmarked for volunteer firefighter stipends from the ...

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Rookie New Mexico Firefighters Get A Raise… Thanks to New State Minimum Wage

Entry-level firefighters in Raton, New Mexico received an unexpected wage increase earlier this month following an increase the state’s minimum wage. Effective January 1, 2020 the State of New Mexico increased its minimum wage from $7.50 to $9.00 per hour. The City of Raton and its firefighters work under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement that allows the city ...

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State Wage and Hour Laws Can Trump the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: I recently read a story on your website about Rhode Island enacting a new law requiring firefighters be paid overtime after working only 42 hours per week. But the FLSA only mandates overtime pay after firefighters work 53 hours per week. Doesn’t federal law (FLSA) trump (or pre-empt) state law? Answer: Good question. You are not alone ...

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Repayment of Training Costs and the FLSA

Today’s FLSA question. . . Same question. . . Two sides. . . I am a rookie firefighter. I just completed recruit school last week. I was paid minimum wage for 14-weeks while in the academy. I am set to begin on my first shift tomorrow. I don’t think this was a good choice for me and I just found ...

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