CLEVELAND — Dozens of police officers and support staff from North Ridgeville, Ohio, recently filed an unpaid overtime lawsuit against their department claiming the city underpaid them and owes back wages from the previous three years. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio, alleges the department committed wage theft by improperly calculating the plaintiffs’ wages to determine their average hourly rate.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), workers must be paid one and a half times their regular hourly rate when they work more than 40 hours a week. The suit claims the police department only considered the officers standard hourly rate when calculating overtime wages and did not incorporate other types of pay such as longevity pay, uniform allowance, holiday bonus pay, merit pay, college pay, detective bureau pay, field training officer pay, and shift differential.
In their lawsuit, the 44 plaintiffs asked the court to award them damages for three years of unpaid overtime wages as well as interest and penalties on their back pay. The group of plaintiffs included not only police officers but also dispatchers, record clerks, and administrative personnel who believe they were shortchanged by the city.
FLSA Overtime Lawsuits
Shortchanging workers by only taking into account base pay is an all too common way employers try to get around paying full overtime wages and keeping their payroll expenses to a minimum. Fortunately for wage theft victims, the FLSA gives them the right to hold their employer accountable by filing unpaid overtime lawsuits in federal courts although some states have even more robust wages laws.
Under the FLSA, wage theft victims can recover more than just their unpaid overtime. The Act allows them to recover interest on the back wages, attorney’s fees, and even liquidated damages which can equal the amount of unpaid overtime. Depending on the circumstances of the case, plaintiffs may be awarded two to three years of back pay under the statute of limitations language contained within the Act.
Police Overtime Pay Lawsuits
Call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page if you feel that your wage rights are being violated under the FLSA. Our top-rated team of unpaid wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action to help you seek justice.
Our office will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. Because strict time limitations apply for filing these types of claims, we advise you contact our experienced unpaid overtime wage attorneys at your earliest convenience and preserve your legal rights.