Milwaukee Agrees to Settle an FLSA Misclassification Lawsuit with Battalion and Deputy Fire Chiefs

The City of Milwaukee and a group of current and former chief officers have reached a global settlement to resolve a 2024 FLSA misclassification lawsuit. According to city documents, a total of $1 million has been earmarked to resolve claims found in the lawsuit and will be distributed to current and former Battalion and Deputy Fire Chiefs that were denied overtime compensation over the past 3 years. Additionally, the chiefs’ attorneys could receive as much as $333,333 [out of the $1 million] in attorney’s fees based on the proposed settlement agreement. This is the second FLSA settlement between firefighters and The City of Milwaukee in recent years. The first resulted in a $1+ million settlement in 2023.

Click here for more on both lawsuits from UrbanMilwaukee.com and copies of the proposed settlement agreement and the letter presented to the City’s Judiciary and Legislative Committee recommending approval of the settlement.

Do you have questions about fire officers and overtime? Please join us on April 9, 2025 at 1PM EST for the Advanced FLSA Webinar “Executive Exemption: Fire Officers and Overtime.” In this 3.5 hour webinar, we take a deep dive into recent court decisions, settlements, and Department of Labor regulations related to application of the FLSA’s “white-collar” overtime exemptions to high-ranking fire department officers.