Rockdale County and its sheriff’s office have agreed to pay $1.1 million to resolve claims of unpaid work by 174 current and former deputies.
The deputies alleged in a lawsuit that officials violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to compensate them for time spent at pre-shift roll calls and for work they did after they were off the clock. The settlement covers the maximum three-year period allowed under the law, and pays attorney fees for the plaintiffs, the deputies’ attorneys said.
“I was proud to represent these hard working officers,” said lawyer Greg Hecht, who worked with co-counsel Daniel Ragland. “I appreciated the county and its sheriff for their willingness to see that our clients are fairly compensated for all of the work they performed on behalf of the citizens of Rockdale County.”
It took more than two years to reach the settlement. In July 2018, plaintiffs notified the county of their intent to sue. One month later, Rockdale agreed to negotiate and change its long standing practice of not paying for roll call attendance.
The settlement was approved by the Rockdale Superior Court Judge Robert Mumford on Nov. 17.
The settlement is similar to one obtained by the same lawyers in 2018 in Clayton County. That case involved more than 340 officers working for the Clayton County Police Department and Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
The Clayton workers also alleged violations of the fair labor law because they hadn’t been paid for roll call attendance. Clayton County agreed to settle for more than $1.5 million.
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