Chicago Paramedics Given Second Chance to Sue the City for Overtime Pay

Chicago, ILIn what must be welcome news to those healthcare professionals who feel overworked, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has given Chicago paramedics the green light to go ahead and sue the city in an attempt to recoup overtime pay.

A total of 54 paramedics working with the Chicago Fire Department have filed a two-count collective action in federal court in which they claim that the city routinely and purposefully miscalculated their overtime in 10 unique ways, effectively cutting the pay of these men and women.

In Illinois, paramedics are able to earn extra pay for working 24-hout shifts, driving the ambulance, working extra shifts or simply staying fit, according to the Courthouse News Service.

The initial complaint was dismissed by a federal court for being "hopelessly heterogeneous," and the plaintiff paramedics - whose ranks had swollen to the hundreds - were directed to proceed through arbitration.

When the appeal was consolidated in a second lawsuit, Circuit Judge Joel Flaum deemed that the paramedics would be allowed to continue with their claims on an individual basis.

"Sifting through the subclaims of each of the myriad plaintiffs is an unenviable task," Judge Flaum told the news provider. "But plaintiffs are nonetheless entitled to their day in court."