Tag Archives: hours worked

Pennsylvania Police Officer Files FLSA Lawsuit for 15 Hours of Overtime

A Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, police officer has filed a federal lawsuit in the Middle District of Pennsylvania alleging that the city failed to pay the officer for approximately 15 hours of work over a 2-month period in late 2016. The officer, Kara Kroll, alleges she sustained a work-related injury in October of 2016. As a result, she missed one week of ...

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“Off-the-Books” Paid Time Off Practice Ended for Ohio Police and Firefighters

The City of Akron, Ohio has ended the practice of providing “off-the-books” paid time off to some police officers and firefighters. For more than 30 years, the city had an unwritten policy that allowed some police officers and firefighters take time off in lieu of receiving overtime pay for attendance at community outreach meetings and fire safety events. The paid ...

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Military Leave and the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: Does the FLSA require employers to pay employees while they are on military leave? Answer: Good question. The answer is maybe . . . and it depends. . . We need a little more information to answer this one. As a general rule, the FLSA does not require that employers continue to pay employees while they’re on ...

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Four-Platoon Fire Departments & the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: I work for a midsize municipal fire department in the Northeast. We work a 42-hour average workweek. Our city administrators claim they are not required to set a work period, calculate regular rate, or follow much of this FLSA “stuff” because we work an average of 42 hours per week and have a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). ...

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Comp Time Hours Do Not Always Count

Today’s FLSA Question: I have a question about FLSA comp time. Do the hours a firefighter does not work because he or she is using accrued FLSA compensatory time (comp time) need to be included when determining overtime for the work period? I don’t believe they need to be included, since the FLSA typically only requires counting hours worked by ...

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San Diego Settles FLSA Lawsuit With Helicopter Rescue Medics

The City of San Diego has settled a lawsuit filed by six helicopter rescue medics for a total of $307,000. The rescue medics work for the city’s fire and rescue department providing medical and logistical support for the city’s air ambulances. Historically, the city classified these medics as §207(k) firefighters. The medics claimed they did not have any “responsibility to ...

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Early Relief: Another Firefighter-Only Exception Explained

Today’s FLSA Question: I am a city HR manager. I am updating the city’s employment handbook. We are instituting a citywide time tracking and accountability system. Part of the system prohibits employees from working before their assigned shifts. The fire chief just informed me that firefighters arrive as much as one hour before their assigned shifts. The chief assured me ...

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Combination Fire Departments and the FLSA

Today’s FLSA Question: I just got hired as one of two paid firefighters who work weekdays for a volunteer fire department. My partner and I are the only employees. I have been a volunteer here since high school. Part of accepting the position required me to stop volunteering as a firefighter. I can still respond on major calls, but I ...

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Texas Paramedic Files FLSA Suit Against Dallas/Fort Worth Airport

A former paramedic for the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has filed an FLSA lawsuit against his former employer, seeking unpaid overtime and other money damages for the past three years. Douglas Patterson filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Patterson alleges that he and other paramedics did not receive all remuneration in their ...

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