Police officers seek payment for alleged overtime, holiday hours

Twenty-six current or former Eunice police officers have filed suit seeking to be paid for overtime and/or holiday time they claim is owed them.
The state court petition asserts the plaintiffs routinely work in excess of 40 hours in a seven-day work period and contends they should be paid time-and-a-half for the excess hours.
The suit also claims officers were not paid holiday pay prior to Jan. 1, 2013 as they should have been under city policy.
The overtime issue pits city policy against federal law.
City policy is overtime pay for anything over 40 hours in a week.
Federal law stipulates that a standard police work schedule is 84 hours over two weeks, and that overtime is not due until 86 hours are worked.
That is the pay system the city uses for police officers.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to order the city to prepare an accounting of overtime and holiday pay owed for the three years prior to the suit’s filing on June 13, and a like amount as penalties.
After the city answers the suit, a hearing date will be scheduled in 27th Judicial District Court.