Massachusetts Fire Department Settles FLSA Lawsuit for $101k
The Town of Brookline has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged that firefighter overtime was not being paid in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. The federal lawsuit was filed last year by two fire lieutenants, Brian Bergeron and Paul Trahon, who also happened to be union officers for IAFF Local 950.
The suit alleged the town improperly calculated firefighters’ regular rate by not including a wage augment for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) stipend; failed to pay firefighters for 3 hours of each 24-hour shift; miscalculated their hours-worked while substituting; failed to include certain extra hours worked; failed to maintain required payroll records; and failed to pay overtime in a timely manner. Here is a link to our earlier coverage, including a copy of the complaint.
The proposed settlement of $101,604.22 must be approved by the town’s Select Board. According to the Brookline News, the parties have been working cooperatively to resolve the claims, with a total of 73 of the town’s 119 firefighters being entitled to additional compensation.
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