NFFE Local 2152 Bureau of Land Management FLSA Overtime Grievance

NFFE Local 2152 v. Bureau of Land Management FLSA Grievance Document Library

In June of 2006, your Union, the National Federation of Federal Employees Local 2152, filed a grievance against the United States Bureau of Land Management on behalf of all bargaining unit employees. The Grievance alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal law that protects the rights of American workers.

The Law Offices of Snider and Associates, as the legal representatives for the Union, are working hard for the bargaining unit employees to ensure that their rights under federal law are upheld. As part of the process, we have been busily contacting NFFE Local 2152 Bureau of Land Management grievants about their job duties and how much unpaid overtime they have worked.

Status

At the initial Grievance meeting, the Agency representatives refused the Union’s Request for Information (a violation of 5 USC 7114(b)). The Union has filed a Charge of Unfair Labor Practice with the FLRA to obtain the necessary information.

Law Enforcement Rangers, GS 1801, at the Bureaus of Land Managemetn are curently classified as non-exempt from (ie protected by) the FLSA. In spite of this classificaton, they are often not paid for time worked beyond their normal tour of duty, and are often only allowed to take compensation in comp time, both of which violate Federal Law. Paralegals from the Law Ofiices of Snider and Associates have been contacting these Rangers to find out how much they are owed.

Who is covered by the Grievance?

All bargaining unit employees whether or not they members of the union, are covered by this grievance.

What is the FLSA?

The FLSA protects Federal employees' rights by providing time-and-a-half pay for overtime work, payment for work "suffered and/or permitted" by the agency (not ordered or approved) and the right to choose overtime instead of comp time. But not every Federal Employee is covered by the FLSA. If an employee is exempt (not covered by the FLSA), he or she gets capped overtime for Ordered and Approved overtime (under Title V, not the FLSA), a "thanks for staying late" (if you're lucky) for overtime that is not ordered and approved, and can be forced to take comp time for ordered and approved work.

There is a lot of confusion among federal employees as to who is covered by the FLSA, based on years of the Federal Government not following the law properly. A lot of people think it depends on your grade or on your job title. But, that's not true. The only thing FLSA coverage depends on is the actual job duties each employee performs.

That's why attorneys and paralegals from Snider and Associates have been calling Bureau of Land Management employees to find out about their jobs. The union needs to be ready to show the Agency and a Mediator or Arbitrator that the work that employees are doing is covered by the FLSA. Your cooperation in truthfully describing your job to Snider and Associates will help the Union prove that you have wrongfully exempted from the FLSA. If you have not been called yet, you can call 410 653-9060 and ask for any of the FLSA paralegals, or take our online survey.

How will this grievance affect me?

The law says that when a federal employee works for his or her Agency, the Agency has to pay that employee. If an employee worked but didn't get paid, the Agency owes that employee money for the time spent working. In legal terms, the employees must be "made whole," which means that the Agency pays the employee what he or she is owed, under the law.

Employees are underpaid when they receive capped overtime instead of uncapped overtime, comp time instead of uncapped overtime, and are not paid at all for "suffered and permitted" overtime that was not ordered or approved. In short, an employee who is not classified properly under the FLSA may have been underpaid for their work in the past. In such a case, the agency would owe the employee their due compensation.

Attorneys and paralegals from Snider and Associates have been calling Bureau of Land Management employees to find out how much time people have been working without getting paid properly. They also have been discussing what kind of evidence the Union can present to prove that employees have been coming to work early, working through lunch, leaving late, taking work home, and coming in on weekends and Federal Holidays. If you have not been called yet, you can call 410 653-9060 and ask for any of the FLSA paralegals, or take our online survey.

What must be done to prove our case?

There are two separate things that must happen so that the grievants can be made whole. The first is that the Bureau of Land Management has to fail to prove that it properly classified each grievant. The Union's position is that the Agency has blatantly mis-classified nearly all grievants, from GS-6 all the way up to GS-15. As a result of this misclassification, employees have been underpaid overtime, were forced to take comp time instead of overtime, and were not paid for "suffered or permitted overtime," or "off the clock" work. The Agency has the burden of proof, "beyond a reasonable doubt," in this "liability" phase. The second thing that must happen is proving "damages:" that employees actually performed work for the Agency for which they were not paid, that under the law they should have been paid for if they had been classified FLSA non-exempt. This is in addition to "underpaid" overtime and "comp time" damages.

If you would like further information about this grievance and how our firm is working for you, please contact your union or our offices at (410) 653-9060.