Shepherding our guardians!
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
236 F. 3d 793
Published/Precedential
January 19, 2001
INITIAL CLAIM:
Negotiated rate of 17 minutes per day, seven days a week for at-home canine care was unreasonable.
COURT’S RULINGS, FINDINGS AND COMMENTS:
-
The court accepted that one hour a day as overtime on work days and one-and-a-half hour per day on non-work days is appropriate compensable time for at-home canine care.
-
However, the canine handlers had entered into a collective bargaining agreement with the city. This agreement was to pay the officers straight-time compensation for 17 minutes per day, seven days a week.
-
The court concluded that this agreement was reasonable. Nothing disclosed in the record indicates that Cincinnati must have known that 17 minutes per day of compensatory time far under-approximated the actual amount of FLSA work performed by the handlers.
Moreover, nothing indicates that the non-monetary support the city provided in the form of a take-home car, provided dog food, veterinary care, a kennel, travel to competitions, and on-duty training days failed to compensate the handlers reasonably for any deficiency the 17 minutes of straight time in the agreement may have left.
​