Milford, CT Local 944 members will receive $300,000 in backpay after discovering the city had been miscalculating overtime pay. The settlement agreement was approved by a U.S. District Court in Connecticut.
“Our members put their lives on the line every day. And all they want is what’s fair,” said 3rd District Vice President Jay Colbert. “I am pleased that the city decided to do the right thing and correct this issue.”
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that longevity pay, education incentive pay, uniform maintenance pay, and holiday pay are included as part of fire fighter regular rate of pay. Further, all should be used when calculating overtime.
Local 944 first suspected overtime was being miscalculated in 2023.
“Under the IAFF FLSA Policy, IAFF Legal Counsel conducted a review of the city’s pay practices and found enough evidence to suspect some miscalculations had occurred,” IAFF General Counsel Peter Leff said. “When the city seemed unwilling to correct the issue, we filed a federal lawsuit on Local 944’s behalf.”
Under the IAFF FLSA Policy, IAFF Legal Counsel conducted a review of the city’s pay practices and found enough evidence to suspect some miscalculations had occurred. When the city seemed unwilling to correct the issue, we filed a federal lawsuit on Local 944’s behalf.
IAFF General Counsel Peter Leff
After months of litigation, the city agreed to enter settlement negotiations with the 88 members of the Local 944 suit. Negotiations resulted in an agreement that included backpay and a plan to implement a pay formula that would result in the correct overtime payment calculations prospectively.
“We are pleased that the city has accepted the conditions of the settlement agreement,” Local 944 President Ryan LaGuardia said. “While we appreciate the backpay, the most important thing to us is fair wages going forward.”
