County owes canine officers more than $500,000 in back wages
The Illinois Department of Labor (DOL) claims that Cook County canine officers are owed $528,061 in back wages for violating labor laws and failing to pay canine officers for overtime.
According to the charges, officers were not properly paid for overtime hours between 2007 and 2011. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state labor laws, employers must pay workers one-and-a-half time the regular pay rate for any hours they work beyond 40 in a single workweek.
The Illinois DOL alleges that Cook County's Bomb Unit and the Department of Corrections and Court Services required canine officers to care for their assigned dogs both on and off the clock. While officers were paid for a 40-hour workweek that factored in between four and five hours of care time, they were also responsible for the dogs on assigned days off. Because this was considered job duty, the DOL says the canine handlers' time should be compensated.
To avoid both federal and state labor law violations in the future, canine handlers can account for employee attendance while performing job duties at home with a remote timeclock. The device allows workers to punch in and out during the time they spend on work-related tasks.
According to the charges, officers were not properly paid for overtime hours between 2007 and 2011. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state labor laws, employers must pay workers one-and-a-half time the regular pay rate for any hours they work beyond 40 in a single workweek.
The Illinois DOL alleges that Cook County's Bomb Unit and the Department of Corrections and Court Services required canine officers to care for their assigned dogs both on and off the clock. While officers were paid for a 40-hour workweek that factored in between four and five hours of care time, they were also responsible for the dogs on assigned days off. Because this was considered job duty, the DOL says the canine handlers' time should be compensated.
To avoid both federal and state labor law violations in the future, canine handlers can account for employee attendance while performing job duties at home with a remote timeclock. The device allows workers to punch in and out during the time they spend on work-related tasks.
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