Spotsylvania County is being sued by about 150 current and former law enforcement officers who claim they're owed a half million dollars in unpaid overtime.
The lawsuit alleges that the county erroneously applied a federal standard for overtime pay instead of the state standard. It also alleges that deputies were often required to work "off the clock'' if their schedules exceeded the federal overtime threshold.
The state law at issue, which was passed in 2005, requires deputies to be paid time-and-a-half for working more than 160 hours in a 28-day pay period. The current federal standard for overtime is time-and-a-half for working more than 171 hours in 28 days.
The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is First Sgt. Tim Bryner of the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office. Bryner told The Free Lance-Star that he hopes the lawsuit can be resolved amicably and that the county has treated its deputies well.
Spotsylvania Sheriff Roger Harris says the overtime issue was corrected shortly after the lawsuit was filed earlier this year.
Interim County Attorney James Benkahla declined to comment.
