Honolulu Police Officers and Firefighters v City of Honolulu
City of Honolulu Pays $30M to Settle Lawsuit
The City of Honolulu has settled a class action lawsuit alleging more than 2,000 Honolulu police officers and firefighters were not properly paid over a three-year period, according to the mayor's officials. Two sources claim the settlement is $30 million, which has not been announced because the City Council has not voted yet on it. Originally, police union and city officials had estimated the settlement could cost taxpayers up to $50 million.
Filed on behalf of more than 1,500 officers under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the lawsuit alleges that from 1999 to 2002, Honolulu didn't pay officers for time they spent on activities such as work-related travel, command briefings before and after their shifts, missed meal breaks, and for cleaning and maintaining vehicles.
The lawsuit also alleges that officials improperly calculated overtime, that employees were not compensated for all work associated with the job, and that the city's compensation-time policies violate the FLSA.
More than 600 Honolulu firefighters also signed on to the suit. A total of 221 current and former police officers and firefighters, and other county employees, joined in the class-action suit on the Big Island. Individuals received payments of $1,500 to $32,500, before lawyers' fees.
