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 ...
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Judge Rules CBA Does Not Supersede the FLSA, But in Some Circumstances Arbitration Must Come First
Can the terms and conditions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) supersede the FLSA’s basic overtime requirements? That was one of several questions answered recently by a federal judge in Illinois. District Court Judge J. Phil Gilbert ruled that an FLSA lawsuit filed by a group of 911 dispatchers that work for the St. Clair County Emergency Management Association can ...
Read More »$3 Million Reasons Why a Collectively Bargained ‘MOU’ Will Not Trump the FLSA’s Overtime and Regular Rate Requirements
Today’s FLSA Question: Can the terms of a negotiated agreement between a union and an employer [i.e., collective bargaining agreement, memorandum of understanding, etc.] supersede the FLSA’s overtime requirements? Answer: No, a negotiated agreement between a union and an employer will not supersede the FLSA’s overtime requirements. This is a relatively common misconception when it comes to the impact of ...
Read More »Jonesboro Arkansas Facing FLSA Lawsuit from Former Emergency Dispatcher
A former emergency dispatcher for the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the city of Jonesboro violated both the FLSA and Arkansas state law. The lawsuit was filed by Laura Trullinger on behalf of herself and other similarly situated individuals [i.e., other city workers] in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, earlier ...
Read More »Illinois 911 Dispatchers File FLSA Lawsuit Following DOL Investigation
Several current and former civilian emergency (911) dispatchers from Evanston, Illinois have filed a lawsuit alleging the City of Evanston failed to pay them overtime as required by both federal and state law. The dispatchers allege, in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on April 4, that the city has a practice ...
Read More »Former Arkansas Sheriff’s Department Dispatcher Files FLSA Lawsuit Alleging Misclassification, Uncompensated Pre-and-Post Shift Activities, and Comp Time Violations
Cayla Jackson, a former dispatcher and jailer for the Prairie County Arkansas Sheriff’s Department has filed a lawsuit against her former employer for multiple violations of both the FLSA and the Arkansas Minimum Wage Act. Jackson further claims that many other county dispatchers and jailers are not receiving overtime or straight time pay as required by both federal and state ...
Read More »Maryland County 911 Operators Move to 24-Hour Shifts – Overtime Hours Remain High
Fire Communication Operators that work for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department have opted to move to a 24-hour work shift. Previously, county fire operators worked a combination of 10-hour day shifts followed by 14-hour night shifts. The new 24-hour work shift model will require 24 hours on-duty and will be followed by 72 hours off-duty. Both the previous “10’s ...
Read More »Scheduled Work Hours, Actual Work Hours, Public Safety Dispatchers, and the FLSA
Today’s FLSA Question: I am a public safety dispatcher for a small town. We are scheduled to work five 8-hour shifts per week. Only one dispatcher is on-shift at a time. We are required to be in the dispatch center and ready to work by the start of our assigned shift. We are also required to log into the computer ...
Read More »Mississippi City Faces FLSA Lawsuit from Former 911 Dispatcher
Cody Inman, a former 911 dispatcher for the City of Water Valley, Mississippi, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking back overtime and straight time wages in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. The suit, which was filed November 8, 2018, alleges the city misclassified Inman as an “employee engaged in fire protection activities” (§207(k) firefighter) in ...
Read More »Civilian Public Safety Dispatchers & the FLSA
Today’s FLSA Question: I am a city HR director. We employ civilian public safety dispatchers who handle dispatching for both the police and fire departments. The dispatchers work an average of 42 hours per week. If they work all their assigned shifts, the dispatchers are paid 80 hours of straight time and four hours of overtime every two weeks. The ...
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