LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Members of the Louisville Metro Police SWAT team said they've been getting short-changed for years, and back in 2016, they sued the city.
Thirty-five current and six former members said they should be compensated for having to be on-call. Their attorney, Ann Oldfather, said during their month-long on-call shifts, they have to live under several restrictions and should be compensated for that.
"They're not allowed to be out of the country," she said in 2016. "They're not allowed to drink. They have to be available to come to the site of a call-out. They're disciplined if they don't come immediately. But, the availability is something they're not compensated for despite the substantial restrictions on their free time."
SWAT is the elite team for LMPD that deals with situations involving hostages, barricaded suspects and serving dangerous warrants. Each member is highly trained. And back in 2016, the team went full-time, meaning those officers assigned to the SWAT team only work doing that.
Six years after the lawsuit was filed, they'll try to prove their case this week as the trial begins.Â
The lawsuit claims that Kentucky state law requires employers to pay employees to be on-call. Officers claim they missed family functions, couldn't get off-duty jobs and more because of the on-call rules.
Back in the early 2000s, Oldfather sued the city on behalf of firefighters who claimed they were not receiving fair overtime pay. The city ended up paying more than $34 million of back pay in that case.
Jury selection in the SWAT case began Monday, and the trial could last up to three weeks.
The city doesn't comment on pending litigation but has repeatedly said in court filings that on-call hours should not be considered work hours and that the officers don't deserve back pay for those hours.
Related Stories:
Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
