Knoxville, TN – Several Knoxville firefighters have filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging they are being underpaid due to a misclassification in the city’s employee payment plan. The lawsuit, filed on January 13, was brought by attorney Richard Collins on behalf of six veteran firefighters: Kevin Faddis, Shawn Langley, Stephen Mitchell, Gregory Phillips, Robert Pollard, and Christopher Smith.
At the center of the lawsuit is the city’s pay step plan, which was implemented in 2022 following a 6% pay raise approved by the Knoxville City Council. The plan was designed to adjust salaries to market value, placing employees at a specific “step” based on years of service. However, the plaintiffs argue that firefighters with over five years of experience were placed at the wrong step, resulting in lower pay than they believe they should have received.
The lawsuit states that when the city implemented the pay step plan in July 2022, it placed firefighters with more than five years of service at an arbitrary lower step, effectively locking them into lower pay grades. According to Collins, the plan was intended to have 25 steps, with each corresponding to a specific number of years of service. This would mean a firefighter with five years of experience should be placed at “step five,” but the lawsuit claims that was not the case for the plaintiffs.
The affected firefighters reportedly attempted to file a grievance with the city to have their pay corrected, requesting to be reassigned to the appropriate step and to receive the formula used to determine their placement. However, their request was denied, as city rules state that pay disputes are not “grievable.”
Collins also raised concerns that the city’s misclassification could constitute age discrimination. He pointed out that the plaintiffs are all aged 49 or older, with each firefighter having at least 25 years of service with the department. Collins argues that the pay discrepancies disproportionately affect older employees, who generally have more years of service and experience.
In addition to the six plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, Collins provided a sample of 12 other firefighters who were allegedly placed on the wrong step. These individuals are aged between 48 and 67 and, like the plaintiffs, have significant experience within the department.
“The City’s misclassification disproportionately (if not entirely) affects older firefighters,” Collins said, adding that the misplacement creates a “disparate impact” on older workers due to the years of service required to reach higher ranks within the department.
Interestingly, Kevin Faddis, one of the plaintiffs, was heavily involved in the implementation of the pay step plan during 2022. Collins emphasized that his clients are not challenging the plan itself but rather the city’s failure to properly execute it in accordance with its own terms and expectations.
“My clients do not challenge the compensation plan as enacted by the Knoxville City Council,” Collins said in a statement. “Instead, my clients seek to redress the City’s failure to execute the plan according to its terms, the City’s own representations, and the expectations of those involved in the development and ultimate approval of the plan.”
In response to the lawsuit, the city issued a statement that Collins described as missing the point. The city has yet to offer further comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.
As the case moves forward, the outcome could have broader implications for how the city handles employee compensation and addresses concerns about pay equity and age discrimination.
