Six battalion chiefs from Greater Naples Fire suing for unpaid overtime

Six battalion chiefs from the Greater Naples Fire are fighting to get paid for overtime hours, saying the district owes them each hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s a job that’s important but these first responders say they haven’t been getting paid fairly for awhile.

Jennifer Cummings knows just how valuable first responders are, she recently had to call 911 after her husband fell and broke his femur.

“They’re putting their lives on the line for all of us–for everyone,” she said. “Certainly if they’re working and doing the job they should get a fair wage.”

Court documents show they are suing their fire district for over $360,000 saying that each employee has been underpaid $20,000 a year for the last three.

The document says each responder usually works more than 53 hours per week, but they have been getting paid the regular hourly rate for overtime hours clocked.

Court documents also show the fire district refused to pay them, saying their administrative and executive titles exempt them from overtime pay.

Their lawyer, Dr. Marcus Braswell of Sugarman and Susskind, says that even though each employee is salaried, they should have received overtime wages.

Another battalion chief wrote a letter saying he was owed unpaid overtime wages and was suspended shortly thereafter.

WINK News reached out to the Fire Chief of Greater Naples Fire Rescue District as well as the layers representing the employees. We are still waiting on responses from each.