Police officers sue Elgin for pay

A group of 142 Elgin police officers have sued the city, demanding to be paid for weekly overtime dating back to January 2005.

The lawsuit does not specify damages, but union attorney Craig Mielke said a favorable judgment could amount to more than $550,000, plus attorney fees.

The collective bargaining agreement with Elgin called for officers to report for duty 15 minutes before every eight-hour shift for a "training period," the suit said.

The 15 minutes amounted to a 41.25-hour work week, but instead of being paid time-and-a-half for the extra 85 minutes a week, the city paid the officers only their regular rate, the suit states.

The discrepancy is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Mielke argued in the suit.

The officers seek back pay at the overtime rate, damages equal to the amount of back pay, and attorney fees.

The suit does not specify how much in pay and damages the officers are seeking.

But many officers make $32 per hour, and the difference they would have received if making time-and-a-half instead of straight time would amount to $20 a week.

Multiply that by two years and 142 officers, and the suit's demand for equal damages is in the neighborhood of $568,000.

"We did this for the police officers in Aurora," Mielke said. He said his case there went to the appellate court, and officers there received back pay.

Elgin police union President Rick Ciganek could not be reached for comment.

A message left with Elgin's attorney was not returned.

"I'm not aware of any pending litigation and even if I were, I would have no comment," Elgin Police Chief Lisa Womack said.

The case has an initial date of Dec. 11 before Judge Michael Colwell.