MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Six months ago, the International Association of Firefighters Local 313 filed a lawsuit against the city of Morgantown over holiday pay after mediation failed.
Local president Jayson Nicewarmer was a guest on WAJR’s Talk of the Town and said the underpayments add up to a significant amount over the year.
“State Code says firefighters should be compensated with at least the shift they work, which we work a 24-shift, so we’re getting shorted 12 hours,”Nicearmer said,”And also if you worked the holiday firefighters should get time-and-a-half pay.”
Nicewarmer says currently they get 12 hours of paid time off to take during the year, meaning they are being shorted 12 hours.
Nicewarmer says since June the process has moved very slow.
“The lawsuit was filed in June and our attorney has tried since the middle of August to get deposition dates for the city manager and finance director,”Nicewarmer said,”We were finally able to get the depositions Wednesday.”
Nicewarmer adds that Morgantown is not alone.
“This is a statewide problem, two or three years ago Wierton Police & Fire went through the samething and were able to work it out,”Nicewarmer said,”Currently, Martinsburg firefighters are in a lawsuit with their city and they have a trial date of February 202 for them.”
The Morgantown lawsuit is still in the discovery phase.