VIRGINIA, USA — The Virginia State Police chapter of the Virginia Police Benevolent Association has filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia, claiming officers have not been paid overtime wages.
According to a release from the Virginia Police Benevolent Association, the lawsuit accuses the Commonwealth of violating the Fair Labor & Standards Act and Virginia Overtime Wage Act.
The association claims officers noticed overtime hours missing from their paychecks and on "numerous documented cases" members of the department were not paid their earned wages or their wages were not paid in full on time.
The association says one of the officers was not paid for overtime earned while working on January 6 while assisting United States Capitol Police.
Another member claims they were not paid overtime wages since May 2021.
The association believes more than 25 members of the department have been affected by the "overtime pay crisis," with some members saying they started having issues as early as January 2021.
"At this time, Virginia State Police Chapter members are still continuing to report missing overtime payments with every pay period that goes by," claims the Virginia Police Benevolent Association.
WUSA9 has reached out to the officials with the Commonwealth of Virginia for comment on the lawsuit. They said they did not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit seeks financial compensation for the March 2021 death of 65-year-old Helen Quarles, who died in a crash involving a CCSO deputy.