Opinion ID: 2546096
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the labor cabinet has jurisdiction to pursue appellants for unpaid portion of firefighters' overtime pay

Text: Appellants next argue that the Labor Cabinet lacks jurisdictional authority to pursue its administrative action to compel Appellants to pay the unpaid portions of overtime pay due to their firefighter-employees under Hasken. Specifically, they argue that the overtime requirements of KRS Chapter 337, which the Labor Cabinet is authorized to enforce, are inapplicable to training incentive pay earned under KRS Chapter 95A because KRS Chapter 95A, being focused on supplemental firefighter training pay, is a more specific statute, and a later-enacted statute, than KRS 337.285. Therefore, they claim, the alleged underpayment of firefighters on account of money payable under the Professional Firefighters Foundation Program Fund falls outside the enforcement mechanisms provided by KRS Chapter 337. In support of their argument, Appellants cite Meyers v. Chapman Printing Co., Inc., 840 S.W.2d 814, 819 (Ky.1992) (The applicable rule of statutory construction where there is both a specific statute and a general statute seemingly applicable to the same subject is that the specific statute controls.); and, DeStock No. 14, Inc. v. Logsdon, 993 S.W.2d 952, 958-959 (Ky. 1999) ([I]f two statutes involving the same subject matter are in irreconcilable conflict, the later statute controls.). However, these concepts of statutory construction only come into play if the two statutes in question are in irreconcilable conflict. We see no such conflict between the two statutes. Nothing in KRS 95A, as it existed prior to 2009 precludes application of the requirements of KRS Chapter 337. Effective March 20, 2009, KRS 95A.250 was amended to include a section dealing with the calculation of overtime pay for firefighters compensated via the Firefighters Foundation Program Fund. The amendment reversed the effects of Hasken, and restored the former method by which such overtime pay was determined. In its amended version, KRS 95A.250(2)(b) states: [t]he supplement disbursed to a qualified professional firefighter pursuant to this section shall not be considered `wages' as defined by KRS 337.010(1)(c)1. and shall not be included in the hourly wage rate for calculation of overtime pursuant to KRS 337.285 for scheduled overtime. The supplement shall be included in the hourly wage rates for calculation of overtime for unscheduled overtime pursuant to KRS 337.285. We agree that the current version of KRS Chapter 95A rules out the application of KRS Chapter 337 when determining overtime pay for firefighters participating in the Firefighters Foundation Program Fund after March 20, 2009. The revisions to KRS Chapter 95A.250, however, do not apply retroactively. Thus, the calculation of firefighter overtime pay prior to March 20, 2009 remains subject to the prior version of KRS Chapter 95A as interpreted in Hasken. Accordingly, we perceive no irreconcilable conflict between KRS Chapter 95A, as applicable here, and KRS Chapter 337. The Labor Cabinet remains authorized to proceed with its action against Appellants to recover the unpaid, pre-March 20, 2009 portion of the firefighters' overtime pay for firefighters pursuant to Hasken.