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City of Bartlesville
Posted: Nov 04, 2024 9:45 PMUpdated: Nov 04, 2024 9:48 PM
City Council Settles Pay Dispute With Firefighters, Police
Nathan Thompson
Following a marathon meeting that lasted more than four hours Monday evening, the Bartlesville City Council approved a revised settlement with members of the firefighters' union regarding an overtime pay dispute.
The revised settlement total is nearly $130,000, which includes attorney fees and costs after the firefighters' union filed a federal lawsuit alleging the city failed to appropriately calculate overtime pay in line with the Fair Labor Standards Act.
City Attorney Jess Kane explains how the matter came to the city's attention.
Kane says the city immediately began examining if there was a pay issue and determined there was a discrepancy. Kane says communication was sent to the attorneys representing the firefighters about a calculation for the overtime pay, but there was no response over a five month time frame. During the five month period, city staff fixed the underlying problem and came to a new bargaining agreement with the firefighters' union reflecting the correction.
Kane says the parties came to a settlement agreement at the end of September, but the firefighters' attorneys decided to file a lawsuit against the city in Tulsa federal court on Oct. 29. He says this is not an issue that is solely a Bartlesville problem, but dozens of municipalities across the state and nation also had the similar miscalculations under the FSLA.
The revised agreement will pay 75 current and former members of the firefighters' union more than $63,000 total to be divided among the group. The revised agreement increased the attorneys' share by more than $6,000 — over $53,000 in liquidated damages and more than $13,000 in attorneys' fees, which is double the almost $7,000 initially agreed to.
Kane says then revised settlement will cause the lawsuit to be dismissed.
The City Council approved a separate settlement of more than $6,500 to members of the Fraternal Order of Police for a miscalculation of overtime pay under the FSLA and authorized city staff to compensate general employees as well for the miscalculation.
Vice Mayor Jim Curd commended city staff on quickly addressing the pay miscalculation.
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