By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— A court case filed in May 2010 was finalized Sept. 30 when the Pelham City Council authorized payment related to the Camp Class FLSA Claims Settlement.

Under the previous administration, five Pelham firefighters sued the city, alleging the city violated the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the civil service law, which governs how the city’s employees are compensated.

Firefighters in the Pelham Fire Department work 24-hour shifts followed by 48 hours off. Part of the claim stated that until October 2009, the firefighters who worked nine shifts would work 216 hours and those who worked 10 shifts would work 240 hours in a 28-day period.

The FLSA states that anyone engaged in fire protection that works more than 212 hours in a 28-day period should receive overtime pay of time and a half. The firefighters also claimed that their sick and vacation time was not comparable to other “40-hour a week” city employees.

City Council President Rick Hayes said this issue is something the current administration inherited and was happy to finalize. This agreement is the product of the completed court case and finalizes the claim.

“The two parties agreed on a number based on what the district court determined,” Hayes said. “The district court agreed with one part with the lower court and it disagreed on one part. Based on that, this is the final thing for this to be completely over.”