Richland 1 withheld overtime pay to several employees, lawsuit says

Richland 1 owes nearly four dozen school employees extra for working overtime, a lawsuit by a former top personnel staff member says.

Machelle Thompson alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that she was fired by Superintendent Craig Witherspoon for repeatedly questioning decisions not to pay 46 workers for extra work as federally required.

She is seeking $5.6 million in damages from the district for a dismissal the lawsuit said came after reprimands and admonitions from supervisors about overstepping her authority.

Richland 1 officials don’t comment on pending lawsuits, spokeswoman Karen York said.

In the lawsuit in federal court, Thompson says the employees were misclassified intentionally last year to exempt them from being paid money owed.

No amount allegedly withheld was given, but some employees are due payment “for a considerable period,” the suit said.

Similar violations led to Richland 1 being fined more than $78,000 in 2006, it said.

Federal labor officials have been notified of the latest denial of overtime, it said.

Richland 1 is the third-largest school district in the Midlands, with an enrollment of nearly 24,000 students in 52 schools in Columbia, St. Andrews and Lower Richland. It has 4,300 teachers and other staff.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Richland 1 withheld overtime pay to several employees, lawsuit says."