By FireRescue1 Staff
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — A group of firefighters are suing the city, claiming they violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by miscalculating both regular and overtime compensation.
Daily Breeze reported that 13 Hermosa Beach Fire Department firefighters filed a lawsuit seeking both the compensation they have not yet received and double damages spanning three years as a penalty, according to Hermosa Beach public information officer Katie Casey.
Casey added that the fire department will be dissolved at the end of December, and the city will contract with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“I am extremely disappointed by the way our firefighters have handled this concern with their compensation,” Hermosa Beach Mayor Jeff Duclos said. “We have been negotiating in good faith for the better part of a year with their union on a host of issues, and this Fair Labor Standards Act issue never came up. We’ve always been fair with the firefighters and grateful for their services. It’s saddening really, that they had many opportunities to bring it up, chose not to and now saddle the city with a lawsuit as they depart city service.”