The Department of Labor has ordered Battle Creek, Mich., to give its firefighters approximately $250,000 in back pay, as reported by The Battle Creek Enquirer. An investigation by the DOL discovered the city has not paid its workers fair wages for their time and attendance over 40 hours per week.

The violations have been ongoing for two years, and Battle Creek Fire Union President Chris Love alleges that he brought the issue to the city's attention in the past, Kalamazoo, Mich., CBS affiliate WWMT reported. Ken Tsuchiyama, Battle Creek city manager, claims the wage denials were accidental.

"We didn't follow the Department of Labor's interpretation of how we should have done that," he told the Inquirer. "Unintentionally, it was a mistake that we made. We told them, 'We will do what you tell us to do.'"

Battle Creek now has until the end of June to pay back its 80 firefighters who didn't receive overtime for working 53-hour weeks. As reported by the Inquirer, the hours were missed by the city payroll because of the firefighters' unusual 24-hour shifts.

Other departments under employment by Battle Creek are also now under investigation for the presence of wage violations. The city will have to update its employee tracking systems in order to avoid future issues with the DOL.

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