Phila. police union wins $8M settlement in overtime dispute

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia's police union just won a first of its kind case.

At issue: Is being required to check your phone or email considered being "on call"?

The union just won a roughly $8 million settlement with the City of Philadelphia. For each officer that will mean roughly $1,300 in compensation.

They argued that officers were working off the clock by using their smartphones for work after hours. The state determined that some of that does count as overtime.

"Using their phones they were subjected to phone calls, they had to check emails so many times a day, and if you were not in contact with the city you were subject to discipline. And we said they are not being paid and they shouldn't have to answer phone calls while you are at the beach or mountains," said Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby.

McNesby says they are now working on a better system to either compensate officers or ensure that all communication can be handled during work hours.

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