It averages out to about $7,900 per officer if distributed evenly. Talk about a gift from Santa!
The Springfield City Council approved an out-of-court settlement in closed session Monday, Dec. 17, 2007 that reaches agreement with a group of Springfield police sergeants on back pay for overtime compensation. Under the agreement, the City will pay $150,000 to 19 Police sergeants named as plaintiffs in the case of Grant Dorrell, et al. vs. City of Springfield, Missouri, in U.S. District Court. The terms of the agreement include that the City will consider the position of Police Sergeant to be non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay effective Dec. 23, 2007. Each party also is responsible for its own litigation costs and attorneys fees. The plaintiffs had sought an amount of $260,000 in back pay along with liquidated damages, attorneys’ fees, court costs and equitable relief. The case involved differing interpretations of the position of sergeant under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The agreement reached after negotiation and non-binding mediation will save the further expenses of court costs and attorneys’ fees had it gone to trial in U.S. District Court. The amounts paid to the sergeants will be considered compensation and subject to normally required withholdings. The payments will be made on the Dec. 27, 2007 paychecks.
