Thousands at GSA Eligible for Back Pay

Up to 5,000 employees at the General Services Administration are owed back pay after the agency reached a settlement agreement with National Federation of Federal Employees in a case involving overtime eligibility, according to Federal Times.

The union filed the grievance in 2002, saying employees classified as exempt from overtime pay were actually eligible under the Fair Labor Standards Act. NFFE spokesman Cory Bythrow told Federal Times that employees represented by the bargaining unit will be eligible for a cut of the $30 million settlement for hours worked between 1999 and 2012.

In a statement released to Government Executive on Friday, NFFE President William R. Dougan said he was pleased with the settlement, adding it is a “great day for thousands of GSA employees.”

“We would like to thank Acting Administrator [Dan] Tangherlini for his role in cleaning up the agency and ensuring that every employee is afforded a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work,” Dougan said.

Bythrow told Federal Times that the union and GSA will determine the amount employees are eligible to receive in the settlement, adding that fund disbursements will start soon. They will be paid from GSA’s existing spending authority for salaries and expenses, according to the news report.

GSA spokeswoman Jackeline Stewart told Federal Times that new measures have been put into place to ensure that overtime pay is “appropriately documented and paid.” She said the agency will require employees and supervisors to attend annual training on the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

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