The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld a lower court’s dismissal of an FLSA lawsuit filed by a Los Angeles firefighter seeking compensation for time spent sequestered at a hotel at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Los Angeles Firefighter Bryan Hunt filed this lawsuit, on behalf of himself and other similarly situated individuals, after ...
Read More »NC Volunteer Fire Department Faces FLSA Lawsuit from Two Former Firefighters
The Robinson Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department and its fire chief are facing an FLSA lawsuit filed by two former members. Akash Patel and Aaron Garbus filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on September 9, 2024. In the complaint, Patel and Garbus allege the department failed to pay overtime and improperly ...
Read More »Jackson Firefighters Still Pushing for Pay Raises
For a second year in a row, firefighters in Jackson, Mississippi are lobbying city officials for a substantial pay increase in an effort to bring firefighter pay in-line with neighboring communities. According to WAPT News the fire chief has budgeted a $10,000 across the board increase in next year’s budget, however union officials claim more is needed. As a result, ...
Read More »Alabama City and Firefighters Reach Settlement Following Claims of FLSA Regular Rate Violations and Retaliation
The City of Gadsden and ninety-four current and former city firefighters and officers of various ranks have reached a global settlement following a 2022 FLSA lawsuit. The firefighter’s initial complaint, which was filed in federal court in May 2022 was limited to alleged violations of the firefighters’ regular rate of pay. However, that complaint was amended in August 2022 to ...
Read More »Is Washington DC’s Dependence on Overtime for 911 Operators and Dispatchers Impacting Public Safety?
Is there such a thing as too much overtime? That is a question being asked of Washington DC officials after a series of local news reports that continue to highlight systemic operational failures in the Office of Unified Communications, the department tasked with handlining 1.8 million 911 calls per year in our nation’s capitol. According to NBC 4, close to ...
Read More »Federal Wildland Firefighter Pay Boost Made Permanent
Temporary pay raises granted to federal wildland firefighters in 2021 have become permanent thanks to a federal appropriations bill passed by the Senate this past week. The bill includes around $330 million in funds designated for the permanent continuation of the pay increases implemented in 2021 as part of the White House’s effort to raise the minimum wage for federal ...
Read More »More than 200 Indiana Firefighters File FLSA Lawsuit
Two-hundred and twenty-three Fort Wayne, Indiana firefighters have filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging the City of Fort Wayne isn’t calculating their overtime pay as required by the FLSA. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana on August 15, 2024. The firefighters claim the city is calculating their regular and ...
Read More »RI Firefighter Files Lawsuit Seeking Pay for Time Spent Caring for K9
A recently retired arson investigator has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging his former employer, the City of Providence [Providence Fire Department], failed to pay him for all of the time spent caring for and training his K9 work partner. The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island by retired arson ...
Read More »Judge Dismisses South Carolina Firefighter/Medic’s FLSA Lawsuit
A federal judge in South Carolina has dismissed an FLSA misclassification lawsuit filed by a former firefighter/medic without the need for a trail. United States District Court Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks granted Jasper County’s request to dismiss the 2021 lawsuit filed by Heather Davis, a former firefighter/medic for Jasper County’s Emergency Services Department. In the lawsuit, Davis alleged that the ...
Read More »Starting Pay for South Carolina Firefighters to Increase by more than $10,000 in New Budget – Firefighter Overtime Update
The James Island Fire Department has approved a hefty pay increase for its firefighters in a newly adopted 2025 budget. This significant increase in starting firefighter pay follows a public information campaign begun by James Island’s firefighters over the past several months. The purpose of the campaign was to raise awareness and public support for the firefighters’ low wages. The ...
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