A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a class of more than 150 current and former LA County firefighters alleging that the county failed to pay recruit firefighters for all hours “worked” during the course of five separate recruit academies spanning an eight-month period in 2020. The firefighter’s claims centered around the county’s decision to offer a compressed ...
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South Carolina Firefighter’s Union Pushes for Better Pay for Local Firefighters
The union that represents firefighters from the James Island Public Service District’s, Fire and Rescue Department is renewing its plea for higher firefighter pay. The James Island Public Service District, which is a special Public Service District located on the outskirts of Charleston, South Carolina, provides sewer, trash, and fire and rescue services to around 10,000 homes on James Island. ...
Read More »CA Firefighters File Retaliation Lawsuit Following Complaints Over Excessive Overtime
A long running dispute over firefighter pay, staffing levels, and overtime has reached the boiling point in Manhattan Beach, California. This past week, a group of twelve city firefighters filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the city has unlawfully retaliated against them after they went public with complaints over what they refer to as “crushing” amounts of overtime in recent ...
Read More »FL Battalion Chiefs File FLSA Misclassification Lawsuit
A group of fourteen current and former battalion chiefs from the Osceola County Fire Rescue and EMS Department have filed a lawsuit alleging the county improperly classified them as overtime exempt executive and administrative employees in violation of the FLSA. Whether any employee can be classified as an overtime exempt executive or administrative employee depends on the specific facts involved. ...
Read More »Boeing Firefighters Locked Out as Labor Dispute Continues
The labor dispute between the union representing firefighters and Boeing took a drastic turn this past weekend when Boeing locked out 125 private firefighters that work at the corporation’s Renton and Everett, Washington manufacturing facilities. The heart of the dispute centers on the firefighter’s wages. According to Boeing the average annual salary for a firefighter is around $91,000. The firefighters ...
Read More »Illinois EMT Files FLSA Lawsuit Seeking Compensation for On-Call Time
An emergency medical technician (EMT) employed by the Clark County Illinois Ambulance Department filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging the county’s on-call requirements for its EMTs violates both the FLSA and IL state law. The suit, which was filed by a lone EMT in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois late last month contains allegations ...
Read More »Alabama Firefighter Pay Parity Lawsuit Proceeding to Trial
Should firefighters be paid the same as police officers? That is the question being asked in Mobile, Alabama following a 2022 lawsuit filed by members of Mobile Fire and Rescue Department. The lawsuit alleges the city violated an Alabama state law that requires police officers and firefighters be paid the same. Pay parity between police and fire is not a ...
Read More »Fire Department Grant Committees, Off-the-Clock Work, and the FLSA
Today’s FLSA Question: I work as a full-time fire lieutenant for a combination fire department. Our full-time firefighters and officers work a 24/48 schedule. We also have a small group of volunteer firefighters that assist at larger incidents. I am on my department’s grant committee. The committee consists of myself, the Fire Marshal, and the Assistant Chief. I am the ...
Read More »Illinois Offers Tax Credit to Volunteer Firefighters
The State if Illinois has announced a state-wide tax rebate for active volunteer firefighters. The “Volunteer Emergency Worker Credit” will cut $500 from a volunteer firefighter’s 2023 income provided they meet certain criteria. The credit requires that the volunteer firefighters have served their respective organizations for at least nine months and earned less than $5,000 [in nominal fees] over the ...
Read More »Senator Bernie Sanders Proposes Lowering the FLSA’s Overtime Threshold to 32 Hours per Week
Vermont Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation in the United States Senate that would alter the FLSA’s current overtime threshold from 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week over a four-year period. The proposed legislation also requires overtime compensation for all hours worked between eight and twelve in a single day and double time ...
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