Sarah Mirando  |  December 9, 2011

Category: Labor & Employment

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Firefighters work on a wildfire.A group of 28 firefighters have filed a $100 million class action lawsuit against Wackenhut, KBR and Halliburton for allegedly pocketing government contract money meant to pay thousands of firefighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. They claim the contractors forced firefighters to work around the clock in harsh conditions, but paid them for only half their time and threatened to fire them if they requested fair pay.The firefighters are suing the contractors for fraud, conspiracy and breach of contract.The firefighters allege in the class action lawsuit that more than 2,000 firefighters were duped into signing contracts with Wackenhut, KBR and Halliburton that promised overtime and on-call pay “in order to induce them to leave their families in the United States and work under harsh conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.”However, the firefighters quickly learned they were empty promises.They claim they were forced to accept pay for only 12 hours a day, despite being on call day and night and being unable to sleep because they had to keep walkie-talkies next to their ears while they slept. They also claim they were forced to perform assignments above their pay grades.”When Plaintiffs complained that they were being shorted pay, that they were being required by KBR to work on-call hours without pay, that KBR was commanding them around, WSI [Wackenhut Services International] informed them they were lucky to have jobs, that they would be fired and sent back to America, and that many were waiting in line for their jobs,” the firefighters say in the class action lawsuit. “Various phrases were used as shorthand threats to fire if the Plaintiffs continued to complain, such as ‘chicken or beef,’ which referred to the dining choices one had on the flight home from Iraq.”The firefighters allege in the class action lawsuit that KBR, Wackenhut and Halliburton were paid by the governemnt for their extra work, but they refused to pay the firefighters and instead pocketed the money. The contractors conspired with each other to “defeat the right of American citizens to receive their lawful wages required by government contracts — including in-country pay, danger pay, on-call pay, up-lift pay, overtime, and other benefits and compensation,” the class action lawsuit says.The firefighters are seeking class certification and $100 million in compensatory and punitive damages for fraud, breach of contract, conspiracy and failure to pay overtime.

The case is Adam Hill, et al. v. Wackenhut Services International, et al., Case No. 11-cv-02158, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia.

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3 thoughts onIraq, Afghanistan Firefighters Sue Contractors for $100M

  1. Joanna Meyer says:

    My husband died in 2009. The paramedics said he was choking that through him into cardiac arrest. Randy Paul Meyer served as chief in the Tasha Iraq fire department. When he came home. In 2008 he had massive boils on his back that had infection and sand coming out of them and he was in pain. If anyone could help me please respond. I was sent paperwork for the lawsuit and had my attrny notarize it but never heard back from anyone. Sincerely Joanna Meyer

  2. William Braley says:

    I was employed by WSI in Iraq from Sept 2007 thru June 2010. If this lawsuit is still open am I eligible for any compensation?

  3. William Braley says:

    I was employed by WSI in Iraq from Sept 2007 thru June 2010. If this laswsuit is still open am I eligible for any compinsation.

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