FLSA

A former Arizona firefighter who was terminated in 2019 after the department eliminated its wildland program, is suing the fire district for wrongful termination, retaliation, and an assortment of wage and hour claims. Jason Craven filed suit in Navajo County Superior Court naming the Clay Springs-Pinedale Fire District Board.

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In this episode, Curt and Bill Maccarone expound on Curt’s January, 2020 article in Firehouse Magazine addressing the most common ways that fire departments are being sued for overtime violations. In the podcast, they go beyond the top five reasons in explaining the overtime issues that are leading to most lawsuits.

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The US Department of Labor has formally issued new regulations that will change the way the Fair Labor Standards Act will be applied starting January 1, 2020. Two of the most important changes are an increase in the minimum salary for “white-collar” employees and changes to the calculation of an employee’s overtime rate.

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In this edition of Fire Law Vlog, Curt and Bill Maccarone discuss some new updates to the FLSA that will be discussed in the upcoming FLSA for Fire Departments conference this week in Georgetown, Texas. Among the changes are amendments to the US Department of Labor regulations addressing the EAP exemptions as well changes to regular rate and fluctuating workweek.

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Today’s burning question: Can a firefighter who works 24 hours-on, on 48 hours-off be put on salary? Answer: There are so many issues within your question. The first point has to do with your use of the term salary. A salary is simply one way an employee can be paid. Employees can be paid...

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Today’s burning question: If a firefighter is given their scheduled shift off to attend training, do we count the hours that the firefighter was scheduled to work as time worked for overtime purposes? If a firefighter is scheduled to work 240 hours in a 28-day work period, and the department gives the firefighter two 24-hour shifts off to attend a class, is the firefighter still entitled to 28 hours of overtime for that work period?

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Today’s burning question: My department pays us on a 14-day cycle. However, we work a 53-hour work week. For some reason, our department does not pay us overtime until we reach the 106-hour mark in the 2-week period. If we are on a 53-hour work week, why are we not paid overtime after we reach 53-hours in the week.

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Today’s Fire Law VLOG episode addresses two common questions that relate to the compensation of volunteer and part-time firefighters under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

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Today’s burning question: We have both shift captains (24 hours-on, 48 hours-off) and administrative captains (8 hour days – 5 days a week). Both are considered to be non-exempt (eligible for overtime). Why can't the department allow the administrative captains to work OT on shifts?

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Sixteen captains in Marion County, Florida who are being treated as exempt executives under the Fair Labor Standards Act have filed suit in US District Court for the Middle District of Florida claiming they should be treated as non-exempt employees entitled to overtime.

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In today’s episode, firefighter-attorney Brian Massatt answers an advanced overtime question on a firefighter who is substituting for another firefighter, and who ends up working beyond that firefighter’s scheduled shift. Today is the second day of the three-day FLSA Conference ...

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Here is today’s Fire Law Vlog from the FLSA Conference in Westminster, Colorado. Today’s discussion is on the most common types of FLSA questions that firefighter-attorney and co-instructor Bill Maccarone receives in the course of his daily practice.

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This is our first Fire Law VLOG, with several more expected this week as we deliver the Fair Labor Standards Act for Fire Departments program in Westminster, Colorado. Also in the fire law news today...

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In this episode, Curt discusses an FLSA lawsuit filed by a Memphis firefighter, Jon Misewicz, over the issue of whether firefighters have to be compensated for attending mandatory paramedic training. Misewizc v. City of Memphis is the definitive ruling on the compensability of EMS training time for firefighters.

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