Los Angeles firefighters are suing the city, saying they routinely work beyond their scheduled shifts without proper compensation, and this is happening more frequently due to understaffing.
"L.A. firefighters are working in 24-hour shifts fighting our fires, but many of the days that they're working, including currently, they are working 25.5 hours without getting paid for the extra hour and a half," said attorney Oshea Orchid, who filed the lawsuit.
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Firefighter paramedic Daniel Gomez, a 21-year veteran of the department, emphasized that this lawsuit is not about a lack of dedication.
"When we are asked to stay after events like that are going on right now in L.A. with the wildfires, we're asked to work extra days, more than 10 shifts a month - everybody is willing to do that," Gomez said. "Nobody is arguing that we're not willing to go out there and do whatever it takes to protect the citizens of Los Angeles. This lawsuit is simply about getting every single one of those firefighters paid properly for the time that we're away from our families, risking our lives for the citizens of Los Angeles."
According to Gomez, only rookie firefighters are paid for the entire time they work, and that's due to a previous lawsuit. Now, the rest of the firefighters should be paid the same.
The lawsuit also highlights concerns about chronic understaffing within the LAFD.
"This is a long-standing practice that the firefighters come in at 6:30 even though their actual start time is 8 a.m.," Orchid said, but it only became a significant issue warranting a lawsuit now with the department severely understaffed.
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