Maricopa County to Pay $2M in Back Wages

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Phoenix have agreed to pay overtime back wages totaling $2,059,807 to 1,690 detention officers and sergeants for uncompensated pre-shift meeting time.  An investigation conducted by the Wage and Hour Division found that, beginning in 2007, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office attempted to reduce overtime expenses, leaving the time for pre-shift meetings off the official paid time recorded for detention officers and sergeants at six facilities.  The back wages were computed for these 1,690 workers based on records provided by the county and cover the time worked between November 1, 2007 and March 4, 2009.  The case was investigated by Wage and Hour Division’s Phoenix District Office. 

“US Department of Labor secures more than $2 million in back wages for Maricopa County sheriff’s staff,” DOL Press Release, 6/1/2010; http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/WHD/WHD20100745.htm.