Denver firefighter sues department for unpaid overtime
A Denver firefighter is suing the department, claiming he wasn't paid for overtime worked while he was in the fire academy. Shane Walter and his attorneys allege the unpaid overtime violates the Fair Labor Standards Act.
In the lawsuit, filed July 15, Walter says that while attending the 18-week fire academy for new hires, he was given a flat salary representing a 40-hour work week. But Walter says each work day typically ran from 4:30am to 3:15-4:00pm and then the trainees were required to complete chores, such as cleaning. The lawsuit also claims the trainees had to attend nightly study sessions in order to pass weekly written exams and they were not compensated for those after-hours sessions.
The lawsuit also claims that when Walter submitted an email asking about overtime compensation, he was reprimanded. CBS News Colorado got ahold of that letter via an open records request.
Walter's request followed the broadcast investigation which showed that Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton, who earns $230,000 per year, had also amassed more than 400 hours of comp time in the last three years by attending memorial services for firefighters, attending retirement parties for his employees, attending Mayoral forums and going to a candlelight vigil for victims of a mass shooting.
Denver's Manager of Safety said he was unaware of the practice and immediately stopped it, initiating an independent investigation. That investigation is ongoing according to the Department of Safety and details will be shared when the investigation is completed.
A representative from Denver Fire Department tells CBS News Colorado that they do not comment on pending litigation.
