Doe v. United States

74 Fed. Cl. 592, 13 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 203, 181 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3320, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 6, 2007 WL 113949
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJanuary 12, 2007
DocketNo. 03-2459C
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 74 Fed. Cl. 592 (Doe v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doe v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 592, 13 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 203, 181 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3320, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 6, 2007 WL 113949 (uscfc 2007).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING IN PART DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS

WILLIAMS, Judge.

Plaintiffs, employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA), claim that the agency [594]*594breached a collective bargaining agreement and willfully violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay them, and others similarly situated, monetary overtime compensation.1 For each hour of overtime worked, Plaintiffs received compensatory time off (comp time) or credit hours at a rate of one hour of comp time or one credit hour for each hour of overtime worked. Plaintiffs claim that they should have received overtime pay instead of comp time or credit hours, at the rate of one and one-half times their regular hourly rate for each hour of overtime worked.

This matter comes before the Court on Defendant’s motion to dismiss pursuant to Court of Federal Claims Rules (RCFC) 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6). As Defendant correctly argues, Plaintiffs’ claim for breach of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) must be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction because federal employees’ pay is governed by statutory appointment, not contract. As such, a claim of a breach of a CBA governing the terms and conditions of federal employment is not within this Court’s general contract jurisdiction under the Tucker Act.

In the alternative, Plaintiffs allege that SSA violated the FLSA by failing to pay them at the rate of one and one-half times their regular hourly rate for each hour of overtime worked-even though they received comp time or credit hours on an hour-for-hour basis for such overtime work. The FLSA mandates that employees who work more than forty hours per week be paid at a rate of one and one-half times their regular hourly rate for all hours worked in excess of forty, but does not mention comp time or credit hours. However, the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA) provides that an agency may, upon request of an employee, grant comp time instead of payment for overtime under the FLSA “for an equal amount of time spent in irregular or occasional overtime work.” 5 U.S.C. § 5543(a)(1). Irregular or occasional overtime is defined in implementing regulations as “overtime that is not scheduled in advance of an employee’s workweek.” 5 C.F.R. § 551.501(c). Thus, to the extent Plaintiffs worked overtime on an irregular or occasional basis, FEPCA would permit them to receive comp time on an hour-for-hour basis without violating the FLSA. However, Plaintiffs have not alleged whether their overtime was irregular or occasional or scheduled in advance of their workweek. As such, the Court denies Defendant’s Rule 12(b)(6) motion as to this claim without prejudice and directs Plaintiffs to clarify their complaint in this regard. Because credit hours are not overtime under 5 U.S.C. § 6121(6) and cannot be compensated as such, the Court dismisses the credit hours claim for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

Background2

Plaintiffs, Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3, are employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), where they work in nonsupervisory positions classified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Compl. U1. Jane Doe 1 is a Paralegal Specialist grade GS-12-10, Jane Doe 2 is an Attorney Advisor, grade GS-12-10, and Jane Doe 3 is a Lead Case Technician, grade GS-9-5. Compl. U1I8-10.

Plaintiffs, as employees of SSA, are covered by Title 5 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), FEPCA, and the FLSA. Compl. 1115. At all times during their employment with SSA, Plaintiffs have been covered by the National Agreement, a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between Plaintiffs’ union, the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE), and SSA.3 Compl. U 1.

[595]*595 The National Agreement

The National Agreement or CBA defines “overtime” as:

[W]ork that is performed by an employee in excess of eight hours in a day or in excess of 40 hours in an administrative workweek and that is officially ordered or approved by the Agency. Overtime does not include ‘credit hours.’

Pis.’ App. at 55. The CBA defines “credit hours” as:

[T]hose hours worked in excess of an employee’s basic work requirement in which an employee on a flexible work schedule elects to work so as to vary the length of a succeeding workday or workweek. The use of credit hours cannot be used in a pattern that represents a 4/40 scheduled4]

Pis.’ App. at 56. The CBA further states that “[e]mployees covered by both the Fair Labor Standards Act and Title 5 U.S.C. shall receive overtime compensation in accordance with whichever benefit is greater.” Pis.’ App. at 56.

The Social Security Administration’s Policy

The SSA employs approximately 65,000 employees around the country in various offices, including the District of Columbia. Compl. It 12. With regard to compensating employees for overtime hours,

SSA routinely makes available to its employees work known as compensatory time a/k/a ‘comp time.’ ... [for which employees] are compensated ... at a rate of one horn’ of compensatory time off earned for every one hour of compensatory time worked, even if such compensatory time work is performed as ‘overtime’ work (i.e. work in excess of forty (40) hours in an administrative work week).

Compl. II3; Def.’s Mot. at 4-5. At the end of six5 two-week pay periods, i.e., twelve weeks, SSA converts unused compensatory time into monetary compensation at a rate of one and one-half times the employee’s regular rate of pay for each hour of unused compensatory time. Compl. 113; Def.’s Mot. at 4-5.

SSA also routinely permits its employees to work “credit hours.” Compl. IT 4. As defined by FEPCA and OPM regulations, credit hours are “any hours ... which are in excess of an employee’s basic work requirement and which the employee elects to work so as to vary the length of a workweek or a workday.” 5 U.S.C. 6121(4); 5 C.F.R. 610.403. SSA employees receive credit hours “at a rate of one hour of time off for each credit hour worked.” Compl. 114; Def.’s Mot. at 5. An SSA employee may maintain a balance of no more than twenty-four credit hours at the end of any pay period and may maintain such balance indefinitely. Compl. 114. Any credit hours earned once an employee has a balance of twenty-four credit hours must be used by the end of the next two-week pay period or such credit hours are forever lost. SSA never pays monetary compensation for credit hours. Compl. II4.

Plaintiffs have not alleged that they were forced to accept comp time or credit hours instead of payment for overtime.

Plaintiffs’ Overtime Hours, Compensatory Time Off, and Credit Hours

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Related

Abbey v. United States
82 Fed. Cl. 722 (Federal Claims, 2008)
Janaskie v. United States
77 Fed. Cl. 654 (Federal Claims, 2007)

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Bluebook (online)
74 Fed. Cl. 592, 13 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 203, 181 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3320, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 6, 2007 WL 113949, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doe-v-united-states-uscfc-2007.