A total of 174 current and former firefighters are suing the city in federal court for lost wages due to alleged overtime miscalculations that union President James Kottage said he believes will “add up to seven figures.”
The firefighters in the suit allege that the Fire Department failed to accurately calculate their regular rates for overtime compensation, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The 174 firefighters are seeking a jury trial. They are looking to receive back pay compensations, liquidated damages equal to each firefighter’s unpaid compensation and the award of reasonable attorney’s fees, the suit says.
“The city has knowingly and willingly not been paying the proper amount,” said Kottage, one of the 174 plaintiffs in the suit. The city office of the corporation counsel declined comment on the lawsuit.
“The City is aware of a class action suit having been brought by a large group of present and former Firefighters claiming under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act,” Acting Corporation Counsel John Rose said in a statement. “At the same time, it is the policy of the Office of Corporation Counsel not to comment on pending litigation.”