Tag Archives: public safety dispatchers

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Wake County, North Carolina has reached a very quick settlement with a group of current and former paramedics following a March 2021 FLSA lawsuit in which county medics alleged “miscalculated overtime premiums.” The settlement requires Wake County pay a total of $297,121.90 to settle all claims for back wages and liquidated damages with all plaintiffs. Additionally, the county will pay ...

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 ...

This is the second of a three-part series related to recent updates to Department of Labor (DOL) regulations pertaining to the FLSA. Click here for Part I. The updated regulations will undoubtedly affect many workers in different ways. However, for the purpose of this series, we will look at several key components of the update and how it may impact ...

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 ...