Cook County Fights Off Correctional Officer Unpaid Overtime Case

The Illinois county home to Chicago is free for now of allegations that it required correctional officers to work more than 40 hours per week without proper pay for their additional time.

Plaintiff Michael Smith argued Cook County owes workers pay for time spent undergoing security screenings and remaining ready for emergencies during their meal breaks. But a collective bargaining agreement puts meal periods “outside of any overtime calculation” and sets 42.75 hours—not 40—as the threshold, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois said.

The proposed class and collective action alleges workers spend up to 40 ...