Lancaster County, SCNearly two dozen paramedics are suing South Carolina's Lancaster County after they were allegedly denied overtime pay for up to three years, WSOCTV.com reports.
The federal lawsuit, which was filed last week, claims that the county violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Under the law, the plaintiffs claim that they are entitled to time-and-a-half overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours during a single week.
The lawsuit was originally filed by four plaintiffs who claimed that they were typically paid for only 16 hours of a 24-hour shift. They also claim that they were denied compensation for the meals and rest they needed to take during the shifts.
Since the first four paramedics filed the original lawsuit, their attorney said that 15 more Lancaster County paramedics have joined in on the case, making it nearly one-third of the workforce.
"If they're on their sleep shift, and they get called to an emergency, that interruption [of their sleep] has to be paid," the attorney said.
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