Seven officers with the Santa Fe, N.M., Fire Department in a proposed collective action accused the city Tuesday of misclassifying them under federal wage and hour law.
The current and former fire department battalion chiefs told the US District Court for the District of New Mexico that their duties don’t meet the Fair Labor Standards Act’s exemption from overtime requirements despite Santa Fe’s designation.
US fire department ranks usually place battalion chiefs as mid-level officers who oversee multiple fire stations, coordinating efforts in emergencies.
The officers in Santa Fe are dispatched as part of an initial emergency response team and ...