Firefighters substituting for each other’s work shifts is common in today’s fire service. Most fire departments allow firefighters, and in some instances, other departmental employees the ability to freely substitute work shifts with each other. There are several reasons why so many fire departments allow personnel to substitute for each other. First and foremost is monetary. The FLSA and Department ...
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Shift Trades and Fire Department Recordkeeping Likely to Play A Crucial Role in Former Firefighter’s Discrimination and Harassment Lawsuit
The Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department is facing a harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed by a former city firefighter. The lawsuit, brought by former firefighter Jyan Harris in 2018, alleges the city improperly fired him in for “double-dipping” on several occasions in 2015. Harris’s trial began last Thursday, and early indications show that the Kansas City Fire Department’s recordkeeping practices ...
Read More »Advanced Question on Firefighter Substitutions, Overtime, and the FLSA
Today’s FLSA Question: I am the union president for a mid-sized full-time fire department. Our contract allows substitutions provided the shift commander is aware of the substitution before the start of the shift. Recently, there have been several instances where firefighters working substitutions caught late runs that required them to work past the end of the shift. Normally, firefighters submit ...
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